The Lost Art Of Lachrymancy
by norbert220
Summary: The Second War is over and the wizarding community is learning to live in a world that is not shadowed by Voldemort. However, Harry Potter is finding that coping is harder than it seems. Will Ginny Weasley be able to help him before time runs out?
1. Of Nostalgia, Produce, and Doubts

**_Of Nostalgia, Produce, and Doubts_**

It was over. Thank God it was all over. For Ginny Weasley, a life and world that was free from the oppressive shadow of Voldemort seemed to have been one that would be reality only in the darkest and deepest hopes that she kept tucked away inside of her. And now, finally, she could lift her face to the sky, feel the sun warm her fair skin, and delight once more in the sights and sounds around her. It seemed almost as if she was waking from a dream. In fact, most every individual who called the Wizarding world home felt as if they themselves had been reborn into a new world of light.

Unfortunately, the last vestiges of Voldemort's reign of terror still intruded somewhat into this brave new world. So many had been lost in the war…so many that Ginny held near and dear to her heart. As always when she thought of the casualties, a worn and weathered tome seemed to appear in her mind's eye, listing each person's name, how they died, and a picture of their smiling face, assuring Ginny that, given the chance, they would sacrifice themselves once again in order to bring those horrid dark days to an end. With a bittersweet smile to herself, Ginny turned to go back in to the Burrow, determined not to let dark thoughts ruin her summer before returning for her final year at Hogwarts.

Strangely, or perhaps not so strange, the thought of her final year at Hogwarts seemed to bring sad rather than excited thoughts. Ginny immediately knew the reason why. It wasn't because she disliked school. Truth be told, none of the Weasley children really disliked school, although from the way Ron put on about it, one could never guess as much. Even Fred and George enjoyed school, even if they did seem to view it more as an opportunity to see how far they could push the limits of mischief than a place to achieve higher learning.

"We see school as a prime opportunity to develop a more shall-we-say, _practical _education in life," Fred would say with a grin.

"Spoken like a true poet and scholar!" George agreed.

"Well of course, I am a rather deep person…full of wisdom and insight!" Fred quipped with a slightly puffed out chest.

"I don't know about wisdom and insight, but you tend to be full of dung most of the time," George would slyly state, being the cue for the beginning of a rather impromptu wrestling match between the duo.

As Ginny recalled this frequent exchange, she couldn't help the large lump that seemed to creep up in her throat. Fred. Dear sweet Fred. He was lost to them, having been killed during the final battle at Hogwarts earlier that year. So many…so many she loved…

Ginny shook her head once again, trying to dispel the sadness as she focused on the truth, she knew Hogwarts would never been the same for her. As she walked into the kitchen of her childhood home, she saw that two of the reasons for school never being the same were sitting together at the table with a big bowl of grapes.

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, couple at last, seemed to be playing some sort of romantic eating game with each other. Ginny said nothing and watched with a slight smile as the two carried on, oblivious to everything around them.

Hermione would pluck a juicy grape from the bowl and place it lightly into Ron's open mouth. He would then slowly close his mouth swallowing the grape given him, but not before sucking on Hermione's proffered finger. Eyes locked on each other, they then swapped roles, Ron choosing an especially plump grape for the expectant Hermione. However, before completing the action, Ron chose to modify his tactics a bit, instead lightly brushing the fruit across his girlfriend's lips. Ginny could see the shudder that ran through Hermione as she gasped and closed her eyes while Ron continued to gently move the grape around her lips.

Ginny had to give Ron some credit. He had grown up quite quickly when it came to things Hermione-related. She had always thought that he was a bit of an idiot when it came to girls, but Ron had fooled her totally by hiding quite a romantic side underneath. But now, she felt her mischievous side light up and she just couldn't help but break up this little love party.

"Oi, Ron! If you don't hurry up and feed her that grape, it's going to dry out and turn into a raisin!"

Her outburst got the desired response as Hermione's eyes flew open with a squeak and Ron accidentally squeezed the plump grape, spraying juice all over his girlfriend's shocked face.

Blushing to his very roots, Ron yelled at his sister, "Bloody hell Ginny! Can't you see we're trying to have an afternoon snack in peace?"

Ginny, who was convulsing with mirth replied, "I don't know if I'd call you and Hermione getting on an intimate first name basis with produce 'an afternoon snack'."

At this point Ginny had to beat a hasty retreat as both Ron _and _Hermione began to pelt her with the remaining grapes in the bowl.

As she ran up the stairs towards the relative safety of her room she overheard her mother, who apparently had just found the disaster in the kitchen.

"Ronald Weasley! I spent all morning getting this kitchen clean as a whistle and I come in here to find you throwing fruit around like a monkey! Well you are going to clean all this up right now _AND_ do the dishes this evening!"

"But MUM!" Ron's voice was priceless. "Ginny…"

"Don't try and shirk things off on your sister. Now hop to it!"

Cackling to herself as she reached her room, Ginny stepped inside, quite content with her little act of mischief and almost had a moment of total happiness before reality came back to her, as it often does so well.

Her thoughts, aided by the encounter with her brother and Hermione downstairs, led her to the next obvious person on her mind. Harry. She shut the door to her room and made her way over to the bed which had been a place of comfort all her life. It was a comfortable temperature both outside and in the Burrow, but Ginny climbed under the covers nevertheless, finding solace in this simple routine as she thought over the young wizard who had captured her heart as easily as a one-winged Snitch.

Harry. Her heart still ached for him and his presence. No one was sure what had happened to him after the final battle. It seemed that things were finally over and his inner demons had been quelled, but soon after his discussion with the portrait of Dumbledore and his relinquishing of the Elder Wand, Harry disappeared and hadn't been heard from since. Of course, Ginny had been distraught, and it had only been through the combined efforts of Ron, Hermione, and Molly Weasley that she had been prevented from leaving to turn the world upside down in search of her love. She spent the next few weeks shut away in her room, treating those around her with a cold indifference that hurt them to the quick. Only after an admonishing, but gentle conversation from her older brother Bill did she realize that she was being unfair to those who were concerned about her and rejoined her family, asking their forgiveness.

That had been what seemed like ages ago, and now the summer was drawing to a close and she found that her birthday would be tomorrow. As much as she tried not to worry about Harry and what had gone wrong that would cause him to leave her again, she was soon becoming afraid that he might never be coming back. No one had heard a single word from him all this time. Everyone tried to move on with their lives as best they could, but how could she? Harry was her cornerstone and she had been deprived of that.

It was this that was the core of what made her sad. She had never known Hogwarts without her Harry. Sure, he was gone last year as they searched for the Dark Lord's Horcruxes, but she knew the Golden Trio were together and they could keep each other safe. Now it was just Harry, all alone, with no one to turn to. Her imagination magnified his pitiful condition and her heart began to ache with longing to comfort her love. Tears overcame her as she curled beneath the comforter that, just then, brought less comfort than it used too.

It was at this moment that a frazzled Hermione burst into her room without knocking.

"Ginny! How could you be so mean? Now poor Ron has to clean up that horrid mess that you know you good and well instiga-" she stopped mid-sentence as she suddenly realize the state Ginny was in. "Ginny? Are you alright?"

Ginny looked at her best friend for a second before bursting into fresh tears. "Oh Her- Her- mione! Why won't he come b-b-back to m-m-me?"

With a suddenly sympathetic and knowing look, Hermione shut and locked the door behind her before coming over and sitting down next to Ginny's shaking body. She began stroking the young witch's luxurious red hair as she thought for a moment.

"Ginny, I'm not certain, but I think that Harry needs some time to process all that's happened this past year. So much has happened as I'm sure you are completely aware."

Ginny nodded as tears continued to flow freely. "But why couldn't he be here with me to do it? I could h-h-help him."

Hermione smiled down at her, "I know you could, but he has to do it this way for some reason. I do know one thing for certain though."

"W-what?"

"He's going to come back to you Ginny. He loves you too much not to."

Ginny snuffled. "Really?"

"Oh come now Ginny. You know it for a fact. I've seen the way he looks at you, not to mention how he seems like a totally different person when he's around you."

"I don't know why I let it affect me like I do Hermione. He's left me twice now."

"It's because you love him Ginevra Weasley, and don't even think about saying that you don't because I know you do. Every tear you cry is for Harry. You are so selfless that you never think about yourself, only Harry. You've never really grieved for Fred or Colin or anyone else. Only Harry. You give everything you have for him and keep nothing for yourself. If I might say so it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Hermione said with a bit of awe in her voice.

Ginny knew deep down that her best friend was right. It always helped when Hermione was around to talk to. And she always seemed to feel better after she had a good cry. Yes, she definitely felt much better now. Perhaps, she thought with a touch of amusement, she might even go down and help Ron finish cleaning the kitchen.

"Thank you Hermione. You always know the right thing to say when I'm a mess like this," she said as Hermione flushed with pleasure. "Oh, and I'm sorry about bringing your snack session with Ron to a quick close."

Hermione giggled and looked a tad guilty, "It's okay Ginny. Actually I'm glad it was you and not your mum that caught us. I probably would have died of embarrassment right then and there."

"For a second I thought you actually were going to," Ginny replied as the two laughed.

Suddenly, both girls jumped as a rapping sound startled them out of their conversation. Ginny hurried over to the window and opened it wide, admitting into her room something she thought she'd never see again. A beautiful white snowy owl flew into her room and landed on her bedpost, extending its leg. Hermione let out a gasp as Ginny stared at the owl in disbelief. "H-H-Hedwig?" Ginny stammered.

The owl hooted in what seemed to be a negative response and hopped up and down, still with its leg outstretched. Ginny walked trembling over to the anxious owl. Slowly she looked down at the outstretched leg and saw a small package clutched tightly in its claw. Afraid of just what this meant, Ginny hesitated.

"Take it Ginny," Hermione whispered.

Slowly, Ginny reached out and took hold of the package, which the snowy owl released from its grip as soon as Ginny placed her hand upon it. Having completed its task, the owl gave a satisfied hoot and flew at once out the window.

For what seemed like ages, Ginny just stood there holding the package in her hands as she stared at it. Finally, Hermione could take it no longer and burst out, "Are you going to open it or do I have to?"

Shaken out of her reverie, Ginny nodded and began to remove the nondescript brown packaging. Once unwrapped, Ginny opened the box to examine the contents. Upon looking inside she let out a strangled gasp and dropped the package on the ground.

"Ginny! What's wrong? Who is it from?" Hermione asked in growing concern.

Ginny was trembling fiercely now, she had seen what was resting inside the package and she had seen the note tucked next to it as well. She knew the handwriting on the paper as if it were her very own. She placed a hand to her now fluttering heart as she slowly turned to her wide-eyed best friend.

"Harry… It's from Harry."


	2. The Note and the Gift

**_The Note and the Gift_**

Hermione stared in disbelief as she tried to process what Ginny had just said. "You got a package from Harry?"

Ginny, numb and unsure of what to do with her hands, silently nodded.

"How can you be so sure? I mean, not that a package from Harry would be a _bad_ thing, but… How do we know it's not just some sort of cruel prank someone is trying to pull?" Hermione said uncertainly.

Ginny now shook her head in disagreement. Somehow, she found the voice to speak the words that were running through her head like a freight train. "It's from him, Hermione. There's a… note inside. I could pick out his handwriting from a mile away. Harry sent this. Harry sent this to me." She looked into her best friend's face, hundreds of emotions playing across the screen of her eyes.

"A note? Well, why don't you read it then? Come on! Maybe it will say where he is!" Hermione was practically bouncing on her toes in anxiousness.

Ginny moved her eyes from her best friend to the box than now lay on the wooden floor. Unnoticed by Hermione, a conflict of emotions was raging within Ginny's heart at that very moment. She wanted to leap on the package and rip it apart, searching for every little tidbit of information about Harry. However, a small part of her felt somewhat repulsed by the package, almost as if she really didn't want to know what Harry had to say. He had left her again, and she had been devastated. Why should she care about what he had to say now? She mulled over this for the briefest of moments before she recalled the conversation she and Hermione had shared a scant few minutes ago. It was because she loved Harry Potter. "Yes," she thought to herself, "I love that boy with all I have and I am never going to give up on him." Nodding to herself with a small smile, she bent to pick up the fallen box.

Gazing into the package she noticed that it contained two things. One was obviously the note from Harry, but the second was something that seemed to be wrapped in tissue paper. Deciding that she wanted to hear from Harry first and foremost, even if it was only as words on a parchment, she pulled out the note first.

She slowly unfolded the letter and noticed right off that something had to be quite wrong with Harry. The parchment itself was in pristine condition, but there were a number of smudges and ink blots on the page. Ginny also noticed upon closer inspection that Harry's normally strong and flowing script had become thin, jagged, and abrupt. "Whatever he's going through, he's having a tough time of it," she thought to herself with a sudden pang of fear.

Unable to put it off any longer Ginny began to read the note from her love:

_Dearest Ginny,_

_You didn't honestly think that I would forget your birthday did you? I am a great many things, but I'd like to think that I'm not such a prat that I'd neglect the birthday of the most special girl in the entire world. And before you go thinking otherwise, let me tell you that what I just said is true. You are so special Ginny, not just to me, but to everyone around you. You light up their lives with joy and unconscious grace. I can say that few good things have happened in my life, but being around you, for the short amount of time we had, was the greatest thing to ever happen to me._ Ginny felt warm tears began to course down her face as she read on.

_It is with this in mind that I give you this enclosed gift on your birthday. I thought it would be a good reminder of…_ Ginny saw that the word "me" was crossed out …_the times we shared. The shopkeeper I bought it from said that it was infused with a great deal of magic, but he refused to tell me just what type of magic it was. He did reveal at wandpoint that it wasn't anything dark and sinister, so I feel safe giving it to you. He did make a big fuss when he found out that I was buying it for a "special girl" and he even tried to give it to me no charge. Of course I refused to take it without giving him something. He just kept going on about being honored that he could sell me such a gift to give to you. It was all quite embarrassing if you ask me, but still I hope you like it._

_I know you are probably wondering where I am and why I disappeared like I did. Well…_ At this point Ginny noticed that the next few words were blotted and crossed out… _I just can't tell you. I'm so sorry, and I understand if you hate me for it. I think it's for the best though. I doubt if you could find me even if you tried to. Please tell both Ron and Hermione I said hello and that I hope that Ron is treating Hermione like the lady she is. I'd hate to have to pay him a call in the middle of the night for being a prat to my sister. He'll be even more afraid of spiders when I'd get finished with him._ Ginny gave a watery giggle at this point.

_Give all your family my love and be sure to hug your mum for me. Breathe easy and know that there is nothing for you to fear anymore. Happy Birthday once again. _

With Love,  
Harry 

As Ginny lowered the note from Harry, she noticed with watery eyes that Hermione was staring intently at her, almost as if gauging her reactions. In a hesitant voice, Hermione asked Ginny, "May I read your letter Ginny?"

Ginny sniffed a little and handed the parchment to her. "He wrote about you in it."

"Really?" Hermione took the letter and sat down on Ginny's bed as she began to read.

Ginny watched for Hermione's reaction as she read Harry's note. Ginny could see her get a bit misty-eyed as she came to the part about Ginny being "the most special girl in the entire world".

"He is so sweet, you know that right?" Hermione said, looking up at Ginny, who nodded back to her.

Hermione continued reading, stopping a moment or two later. "Ooo, I'm really curious to see what it is he got you Ginny. It sounds really special."

"Harry is special, so anything he gets me is special too." Ginny said almost defiantly. Her friend just smiled back knowingly and continued with the letter.

Ginny was somewhat unprepared for Hermione's next reaction. Suddenly the brown-haired girl burst into heaving sobs as she held the note close to her chest. "H-he said I was his s-sister!" she barely managed to get out.

Now in a reversal of roles, Ginny sat down next to Hermione and held her close as she felt her own tears coming close to the surface again.

"He knows that I have always wanted a sister or b-brother to talk to!" Hermione wailed as she wept upon Ginny's shoulder, "Why did he have to g-go away? Why Ginny? I'm so worried about him and…and I want my b-b-brother back!"

Upon hearing Hermione's plaintive request, the dam of grief within Ginny burst forth anew as thoughts of both Harry and Fred washed over her, making her loss even more palpable. The two girls held each other, anchors in a storm of weeping, as time slowly swept past them.

How long they sat there, sharing their deep and intimate grief, they couldn't quite say, but they both knew that the day was growing long and they would soon be called down for supper by Ginny's mother.

Hermione was the first to break the long silence than had stretched between them. "Well I'd imagine that we both look positively dreadful right about now."

Ginny smiled around a set of hiccups she had fallen into during her crying spell. "I suppose you're right. We need to clean ourselves up, otherwise we'll be interrogated for hours on end about what's wrong with us."

With that said, both girls grabbed their wands and performed a few grooming spells on themselves, feeling better and looking much more presentable then they had been a few moments before.

Hermione then turned back to Ginny with a questioning look in her eyes. Ginny, who had yet to master the art of Occlumency, just returned her look with a blank stare. "What?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

It took Ginny a minute before she jumped up to her feet. "Oh my! The gift that Harry got me!"

Hermione just shook her head in disbelief, "Honestly Ginny, you'd forget your head if it wasn't attached to your neck."

Ginny stuck out her tongue at her friend, "Oh hush Hermione, I've had a very traumatic afternoon. You can't blame a girl for not remembering every little detail."

Hermione sniffed in response but Ginny was no longer paying attention. Once again, all her focus was on the package that Harry had sent her. She delicately placed her hand inside the box and pulled out the item that was wrapped tightly in tissue paper. With trembling hands, she began to unravel the paper until the item slid into the palm of her hand. Upon seeing the gift revealed, she let out a small gasp.

When Hermione heard the fragile redhead before her gasp, she felt a touch of dread come across her again and thought to herself, "Oh no, here we go again." Instead she was startled to see Ginny facing her with a radiant smile on her face.

"Look at it Hermione! It's so beautiful!"

As Ginny held out her hand to her friend, Hermione saw that hanging from Ginny's fingers was a silver chained pendant. The chain gleamed brightly in the now setting sunlight and betrayed itself as being wrought of fine goblin steel. This however was not the special thing about the necklace, although that was special enough. At the very center of the necklace was a delicately crafted glittering emerald. It seemed to grab all the light in the room and reflect it back at a hundred different angles. Hermione was almost, but not quite, at a loss for words, "It's so pretty. It looks-"

"-just like Harry's eyes!" Ginny finished with a happy sigh as Hermione nodded in agreement. "I'm going to put it on right now! Tell me how it looks when I do!"

Ginny undid the tiny clasp and placed the pendant around her slender neck. She then fastened it once again and struck a pose for her friend. "Well? What do you think?"

Hermione was about to comment on how stunning it looked on her when suddenly Ginny felt the pendant resting on her chest give a lurch. Ginny looked down at the emerald in confusion and was starting to think that she was imagining things when at that very moment the gem seemed to heat up and an uncomfortable burning sensation pierced straight into her heart. Ginny felt the air rush out of her lungs and experienced a jarring feeling of being yanked across a long distance. She shut her eyes and fought down a wave of nausea before feeling her body come to an abrupt stop.

When she dared to open her eyes she saw that her surroundings had changed drastically. Was the necklace a portkey? And if so, where was she now? She was about to start exploring her new surrounding when she came to the sudden realization that she really didn't have any control over her body. Actually, to be more accurate, she couldn't feel her body at all. A sense of being somewhat disconnected pervaded her mind so she was forced to remain immobile for the time being.

Not being able to move, Ginny focused instead on her surroundings. She was in a small, dimly lit room that seemed to be bare except for a worn chair and a battered mirror in the far corner. She tried to look and see if the room was occupied by anyone, but she found that she was unable to change her field of vision as well. Frustrated at her situation, Ginny almost failed to notice the feeling that there was a presence with her in this dim room. With a slow horror she began to realize that she was actually looking at this particular room through the very eyes of its occupant. With her view restricted as it was, she couldn't learn any more details than that and was wondering just how long she would be stuck in this unusual state of possession.

Suddenly, Ginny's world began to shift as the person she inhabited began to move around the chair and towards the mirror in the far corner. Ginny could also begin to feel what she guessed to be the emotions of the person she was looking through. She was overwhelmed with feelings of shame and anger that seemed to flow over her consciousness. Ginny could see that whoever was in the room was inching closer and closer to the mirror and with each step the horrid feelings intensified until they almost smothered Ginny's mind. Finally, the person was standing directly in front of the mirror, but they were staring directly at the floor, as if they were summoning the courage to raise their head and look at their reflection. Almost as if on a silent cue, the person raised their head and looked straight at their image in the mirror, causing Ginny to scream within the vaults of her mind. She was looking at the face of Harry Potter.

Harry studied himself in the mirror for a moment and Ginny was shocked to notice just how horrible he looked. Dark circles were etched around his eyes and his face had taken on a gaunt appearance. He had lost an awful amount of weight, and his clothes hung on his shoulders as if they were rags. But the worst of it all was his eyes. Those emerald eyes that Ginny had seen sparkle so many times were dull and lifeless, devoid of all joy and hope. She was dumbstruck and afraid, wanting nothing more than to find where Harry was hiding and hold him in her arms until all the pain faded away.

She was about to call out to him when suddenly she felt a wave of rage and pain sweep over her. Harry's face had contorted into a grotesque mask of fury and she heard him shout within the vaults of her mind.

"YOU ARE TWISTED AND EVIL! YOU DESERVE NOTHING!"

Ginny then watched in horror as Harry raised his fist and punched the mirror again and again, shattering his reflection as the shards of glass fell to the floor with a resounding crash. A hurricane of disgust washed over her mind and then suddenly she felt the room dim around her as she was forcibly pulled out of Harry's mind.

"NO!" Ginny screamed out as her consciousness was pulled back across the distance and everything faded into blackness.

The next thing that Ginny remembered was being shaken awake by a frightened Hermione. When she slowly opened her eyes, Hermione immediately set upon her with questions and looks of concern.

"Ginny! Are you alright? What happened? You put the necklace on and then passed out on the floor! Are you sure you are okay?"

Ginny placed a hand to her aching head, "Please Hermione, I can't take all these questions at once."

"Tell me what's wrong? Are you sick?"

Ginny shook her head, "There's nothing wrong with me, but I DO know that something bad is happening to Harry."

Once again, Hermione seemed perplexed as to what Ginny had just said, "Harry? In trouble? How do you know that?"

Just then both girls heard Mrs. Weasley's voice drift up the stairs, "Ginny! Hermione! Supper is ready!"

"Perfect timing," Ginny thought to herself. This would be a great way to keep from repeating herself a hundred times. "Look, I only want to explain this once, so why don't we go down to supper and I'll talk with the whole family about it okay?"

Hermione seemed to want to object. She always wanted to be the first to know about any new information that ever came up. Fortunately, her efforts to drag any more out of Ginny were dashed when Mrs. Weasley's voice cut through again, "Girls! Supper! Come on now or there won't be anything left!"

Ginny put a reassuring hand on her best friends arm as she got up to walk to the door. "Don't worry Hermione. I'll answer any and all of your questions, but only after I've told everyone about the danger Harry is in." Recalling what she had just witnessed in her mind, Ginny's lower lip began to tremble.

Hermione noticed this and slipped her hand into Ginny's. "Don't worry. We'll find Harry and we'll fix whatever is wrong."

Ginny took a deep breath and nodded as the two girls turned and walked hand in hand out of the room towards Mrs. Weasley's beckoning voice.


	3. Dinnertime Discussions and Garden Plans

**_Dinnertime Discussions and Garden Plans_**

When Ginny and Hermione made it down the stairs and into the Burrow kitchen it became obvious why Mrs. Weasley had urged them to come with speed. The dining table had place settings to include a few extra guests this evening, and Ginny squealed with delight when she saw who they were. "Bill! Percy! I didn't know you two were going to be here!" She ran over and practically leapt into each of their arms.

Percy seemed slightly embarrassed by the display of affection, but Bill took it in stride and was wearing a huge smile. "Oof! Wow Ginny you about knocked the wind out of me! You know Fleur won't be very happy with you if she comes home to find me all broken and bruised." He returned her hug as she giggled.

"She still hasn't gotten back from visiting her parents yet?" Ginny asked.

"No, she's due back in the next day or so. I've been roughing it on my own at the house and the food supply is starting to run quite low," he chuckled. "That's when I thought it would be a marvelous idea to come back to the Burrow to sample some of Mum's wonderful culinary delights and pay a visit to my favorite sister."

Ginny punched him lightly on the arm, "I'm your _only_ sister you big git!"

"Ow!" Bill rubbed his arm with a hurt expression. "What did I just say about bruises?"

Ginny just laughed as she turned to gaze around the rest of the room. Molly Weasley was moving platters of steaming food to the table while she hummed a wordless tune. Percy was seating himself next to George on one side of the table and giving him a very uncharacteristic slap on the back. Ginny sighed as she watched George look at Percy and give him a half smile in return. Of the entire family, it was understandable that George took Fred's death the hardest. When he started returning home from the joke shop at nights to eat dinner with the family, they all took it upon themselves to be as uplifting and jovial with the surviving twin as possible. Percy felt this was his duty more than anyone, seeing as how he was with Fred the moment that he was killed. It was a slow process, but everyone could see that George was finally starting to act like his old self once again. Ginny turned to see her father Arthur walk into the room and take his customary position at the head of the table.

Across the table from Percy, Hermione was sitting down next to Ron, who gave her the briefest of nods before beginning to shovel food quickly onto his plate. Ginny sighed with disgust this time as she determined that Ron definitely de-evolved whenever he got anywhere close to food. Hermione's reaction to this was somewhat comical however. Without saying a word, she took the fork and spoon out of Ron's hands and proceeded to shovel food onto his plate herself. Ron looked at her with momentary shock, but then he blushed and a sheepish smile crossed his face. Ginny smiled to herself and accepted that after seven years together, Hermione knew how Ron worked pretty darn well.

Nodding in satisfaction, Ginny took her seat between Hermione and Bill as Mrs. Weasley set the last pan of food down and sat at the table end opposite of her husband.

"Okay everyone, tuck in and enjoy," Mrs. Weasley said as everyone began eating.

Conversation drifted among all those seated as they caught up on the going-ons of the wizarding world. Bill spoke for awhile about his work at Gringotts and how there were still trying to recover from the damage done earlier that year by the Golden Trio.

"To be quiet honest," Bill said as he leaned back in his chair, "I don't think I've had a full night's sleep since the breakout. We've had to help reapply all the vault charms and even lend a hand with the extensive construction work. It's all very tiring as you could guess."

Ginny's attention was diverted as Bill began to recount a story of a close call he had with a collapsing vault. She noticed some odd movements happening down on Ron's end of the table. Trying very hard to be nonchalant, Ron was slowly scooting his chair closer to Hermione's, letting out a loud cough each time to cover the scraping sound. Hermione was doing her best not to notice, but was unable to hide the blush beginning to spread across her cheeks. Ron had made it to within an inch of Hermione without incident before a voice cut over all the conversation.

"Ron my boy, I know Hermione is a very smart witch, but I don't think grafting yourself to her body is going to help her find a cure for that nasty cough of yours any faster."

The table went dead silent as everyone turned to the source of the jibe. George sat there calmly returning their looks with a satisfying smile. "Of course if the both of you are really set on this method of recovery," he continued with aplomb, "perhaps I should turn your chair into a loveseat and conjure a privacy curtain so you can continue uninterrupted."

At that all the Weasley offspring, including Mr. Weasley, burst into loud guffaws. Hermione gave a blush that would have made any Weasley proud and covered her face with her hands. Ron looked as if torn between laughter and indignation. Molly tried to give them all a reproving look, but was to busy getting up to give George one of her trademark soul-squeezing hugs.

"Oh George, it's so good to hear you acting like your old self again!"

"Well mother, I figured that Fred would be quite disappointed if no one made an effort to deflate our little Ronniekins at every possible chance," George replied with a slight shrug as everyone, even Ron, laughed.

Ginny was thrilled to see the mood at the dinner table at an all time high. Everyone's cares had seemed to melt away into laughter and things were alright once again. However she felt a bit sad about what she was about to have to say. Taking a deep breath and looking to Hermione for a sign of approval, she bit the bullet. "I got a letter and birthday gift from Harry today."

For the second time that evening, the entire table went deathly quiet. Ginny felt a twinge of embarrassment as all eyes in the room were now planted firmly on her person. The silence seemed to stretch for eternity before Mrs. Weasley ventured to break it. "What did you say dear? I could have sworn you said that you had heard from Harry today."

Hermione chanced a comment at this point, "She's telling the truth Mrs. Weasley. I saw the letter and the gift. Harry sent it to her."

A number of conversations broke out all at once as everyone tried to get some answers from the fidgeting Ginny.

"Did he say where he was?"

"What did he get you?"

"Is everything okay?"

"Is he coming for a visit?"

"Did the stupid git say why he buggered off?" This last question was from Ron, who received an angry slap from Hermione in response.

"All right everyone, that's ENOUGH!" For a record third time, the entire table fell silent under Mr. Weasley's orders. Very rarely did Arthur feel the need to use a firm hand with his family, so when he stepped in, everyone knew it was for a very important reason.

"Alright Ginny," Arthur said kindly. "Please continue without interruptions." He gave the entire table a once over before returning his gaze to her with a nod.

Ginny swallowed hard and began speaking, her eyes never leaving her father's. "Well this afternoon I was up in my room talking with Hermione about…um…stuff…" the red-head blushed a little at this point but continued, "Well, all of a sudden we heard a tapping at the window so I went over to open it and as soon as I did, a snowy owl flew into the room with a package."

Forgetting herself, Molly Weasley burst out, "Hedwing?! But that's impossible! I thought Hedwig was killed?"

Ginny shook her head. "I thought the same thing at first, but the owl told me that it wasn't her. So I took the package and before I could find out anything more, it flew off again."

Ginny took a big gulp of pumpkin juice before continuing, "Well I opened the package and inside was the note from Harry."

This time it was Ron who cut in, earning a reproving glare from both Hermione and his parents, "How do you _know_ that it was from Harry?"

"Honestly Ron, I'm not stupid!" Ginny was loosing her patience now, "For one I recognized his handwriting. Secondly, he signed his name. And third, he told me to tell you to treat his Hermione with respect or that he's going to make you even more afraid of spiders then you already are!"

This caused everyone at the table to laugh at the now extremely embarrassed Ron, who could only blush and mumble, "Bloody hell. He doesn't have to worry about that any time soon."

Hermione, who seemed to be the only one to catch his words, positively beamed and graced him with a kiss on the cheek.

"Anyhow," Ginny pressed on as the noise died back down, "he told me that he was a lot of things, but he would never be insensitive and forget my birthday." Mrs. Weasley smiled at this, "He said to give all of you his love and that he wished he could say where he was…but he feels it's for the best that he doesn't. That's pretty much it." Ginny didn't really want to share the things that Harry had said about her with the entire family. It seemed to be something intimate that needed to stay between them for the time being.

As everyone sat mulling over these things Ginny felt an overwhelming urge to be alone and sort out her thoughts. Everyone looked questioningly at her as she abruptly stood up from the table.

"I'm sorry everyone, but I've had a long day and I think I need some time to sort things out. I'll see you later." With that, she turned and headed out the side door towards the garden.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley exchanged knowing looks for a moment before Arthur stood himself and headed out the same door after his only daughter.

The last thing he heard as he exited the Burrow was Ron speaking once again. "Hey! She _still_ didn't tell us what Harry got her for her birthday!"

Arthur Weasley knew, as all fathers instinctively know, that his daughter didn't really need time by herself. She needed quite the opposite in fact. She needed someone whom she could feel safe with, someone in whom she could put all her confidence. Sadly, he knew that since Harry was not here to take that role, he would have to be that person. It truly amazed him just how much that young man had impacted his daughter's life. She seemed to be a totally different person without him around, almost as if she was incomplete. He was also smart enough to see that the connection between the two was not merely a one way street. In fact, Arthur found himself even more amazed at just how different Harry became when Ginny was with him. It seemed as if a window would open in Harry's defenses and Ginny, sensing this, would pour all her love and concern into it, banishing the darkness within, what Arthur judged to be, a very turbulent soul.

He could never say it in so many words, but Arthur Weasley was extremely proud of the woman that his daughter was growing up to be. He would always be proud of his sons and their accomplishments, but Ginny was the gem of his marriage, his fiery princess, whom he would do anything for.

It was these things he was mulling over when he finally came across Ginny. She was sitting on a bench in the garden, almost hidden from view by some trees, with her eyes raised up to the starry sky, as if searching for an answer in the heavens.

Arthur sat down quietly and smiled at her before speaking softly. "How's my pumpkin?" He called her by that name only when they were alone. It was a special thing they had always shared since she was a baby.

Ginny sighed mournfully as she lowered her eyes from the sky to the ground in front of her, "I dunno. I'm so confused right now. I don't whether to be angry or sad or scared."

"And why is that sweetheart?" Arthur asked as he took her very small hand in his own.

"Well Harry left me again, which makes me want to be angry at him. But then he seemed to be struggling with something, which makes me sad because he won't tell me and let me help him. And then… well… I'm scared because I feel that Harry is in trouble."

Arthur gave her a gentle look, "What makes you think he's in trouble?"

Ginny turned and looked pleadingly into her father's eyes, "I know… because I can _feel_ it… in my _heart_." The tiny girl, now on the verge of tears, put a hand over her heart, "And, I think that his gift to me is trying to tell me as well."

Arthur had almost forgotten about the gift. He figured that now would be a good time to find out just what it was. "What exactly is it that he got you Ginny?"

Without a word, Ginny pulled the necklace out from under her shirt, allowing it to sparkle in the bright moonlight.

Arthur let out a gasp as he looked at the treasure that Harry had bestowed on his daughter. The necklace was flawless and obviously very expensive. He knew that the price tag was not what Harry cared about however. He had wanted to give Ginny something that she would never forget and, by the look on her face, he had succeeded. Arthur's opinion of Harry increased tenfold, as if it could get any higher, at that moment.

Drawing his mind back to the conversation, he posed the question, "How could your present tell you that Harry is in trouble?"

Ginny thought for a moment, "Well, when I put it on to see how it looked, I felt a burning sensation from the pendant. It wasn't really painful, but it was strange all the same. Then it was almost as if I was pulled to a different place, almost like using a portkey. But the only thing that seemed to get taken away was my mind, not my body. Next thing, I found myself in a strange room, looking at things from another person's perspective. I could only see what the other person saw, and I couldn't move around unless the other person moved."

Ginny looked up at her father and when he nodded she continued haltingly. "Well the more I remained there in that person, the more I began to feel their emotions, which wasn't a very good thing. All I could feel was loads of shame, regret, and anger. There was so much of it washing over me that I felt like I was going to drown in it. Then, the person I was inside started moving towards a mirror at the far end of the room. The closer we got to the mirror, the worse and worse the feelings got until I wanted to scream or run away or something. Finally, we got to the mirror and in the reflection I saw… I saw…"

Suddenly, Ginny broke into wild sobs as she flung her arms around her father, clinging to him desperately.

"Pumpkin? What was it?" Arthur asked softly as he stroked the hair of his shaking daughter.

"It…it…was H-H-Harry!" she wailed. "He j-just stood there looking at himself, hating everything he saw in the m-mirror. Then he screamed at his reflection and punched the mirror until the glass b-broke!" Ginny tightened her hold on her father as if she would be swept away. "Oh Daddy! I'm so s-scared for Harry! He looked so bad and he hates himself so m-much! Why can't he see that I l-love him and n-need him?"

Arthur paled as he listened to his daughter's deep sobs, feeling tears for both his daughter and Harry rolling down his cheeks. Hadn't the boy given enough? Why did he have to live a life of constant torment and sorrow? At that moment, Arthur would have given his own life so that Harry and Ginny could be together and share the love that they both felt for each other.

Having decided that Ginny was in fact telling the truth, Arthur planned what he needed to do next. The first thing was to get his daughter calmed down.

"Ginny, sweetheart, listen to me." He lifted her face from where she had buried it into his shoulder. "I want you to know that I believe you and I'm going to do everything in my power to find Harry and get him help okay?"

Ginny, whose sobs had subsided into some fierce hiccups nodded weakly.

"I want you to promise me that you will let me or another adult know if you ever find yourself inside Harry's mind again. Whatever you tell us can help us to find him quicker, and I'm sure you want that now don't you?"

Ginny once again nodded in reply.

"I know how much you care for Harry, but I also need you to realize that you have to focus on your last year at Hogwarts. This is your most important year and you need to have your head in the game if you are to succeed. We will keep you updated whenever we find out more about Harry, but I have to ask you to promise to let us take care of this okay?"

Ginny appeared as if she was about to protest, but Arthur put a finger to her lips. "Shush now. You know that we care about Harry just as much as you do and we are going to do everything possible to find him. I don't take kindly to the idea of losing my future son-in-law." He made this last statement as a sly smile crept across his face.

Ginny blushed and brought a hand to her mouth, realized what her father had just said, "Daddy!"

Arthur Weasley laughed as he scooped his daughter up into his arms and swung her around in the air, something that was getting much harder to do. "Oh Ginny you are a treasure!"

Ginny blushed again and kissed her father on the cheek as he held her in his arms, "I love you Daddy."

Returning her kiss he replied softly, "I love you too Pumpkin."

Ginny suddenly yawned. "Daddy," she said in a small, girlish voice, "I'm awfully tired. Will you take me to bed and tuck me in?"

Arthur smiled softly, once again blinking back tears. "Of course Pumpkin, let's go right now."

With that he took Ginny, who was now nuzzling against his neck, and began to make his way back to the Burrow and its inviting warmth, which at that particular moment couldn't compare to the warmth that was radiating from this father's heart.


	4. Questions Without Answers

**_Questions Without Answers_**

Molly Weasley and the rest of the Weasley clan did double take when they saw Arthur walk back into the house, carrying a dozing Ginny in his arms. Her first thought was that something bad had happened, but she could tell by the gentle look on her husband's face that it was not the case. Arthur gave her a meaningful look as he walked by her and towards the stairs.

After so many years of marriage, Molly got the message instantly. "Alright kids. Time for bed. I want you to go to your rooms straight away, and I better not find out that you woke your sister."

Even though all of her children were of Wizarding age or even married, they gave no objections and for once, praise Merlin, went to their rooms quietly. Molly watched as Ron took Hermione's hand as they walked out of the room and she allowed herself to smile a little. Ron had been smitten with Hermione ever since the summer before their fourth year but he had never had the courage or confidence to ask her out proper. Even if he did, he would have had to throw it on the backburner as the two did what they could to assist Harry in the ludicrous task that he had been handed by fate.

Molly shook her head. They were just babies. _Her_ babies. Yet they had banded together and accomplished the unthinkable, destroying the Dark Lord's Horcruxes and killing him as well. Pride was too small of a word to describe the feelings she had for the trio. She had to fight the urge to run upstairs right then and sweep them all into a hug. Sighing instead, she turned back to the leftover dinner dishes and began humming to herself as she started to clean them.

Arthur made his way back into the kitchen a moment later, having deposited his daughter safely in her bed. He didn't announce his presence, but instead stood in the doorway, silently watching his wife tidy up from supper. There never seemed to be a moment where he didn't find something enchanting about Molly. It didn't have to be anything profound, just the little mannerisms that she did unconsciously were enough to make his heart burst with affection. Just looking at the way she swayed her hips as she washed the dishes was enough to arouse his passion for her. With a ghost of a smile, he silently walked up behind Molly and threaded his arms around her waist kissing her neck just below her ear.

Molly gave a start but then leaned back into the embrace of her husband. "Arthur! You gave me a fright! I could have dropped all these dishes!"

Arthur had not responded other than to continue lightly kissing his wife up and down her neck.

Molly flushed with pleasure and gave a little giggle, "Arthur Weasley what has gotten in to you? Honestly, you'd think you'd never set eyes on me before."

Finally Arthur replied verbally, "I have, but it always seems like the first time because you always take my breath away."

Molly sighed happily and closed her eyes as Arthur began to run his hands under her shirt. When a start she returned to reality and realized what her husband was doing. Molly whispered fiercely to her husband, "Arthur! What if one of the kids come down and see us like this? They're going to think I'm a scarlet woman!"

Arthur only chuckled and whispered into her ear, "Well you certainly have the right hair color for it, love."

Molly turned to slap her husband's arm but Arthur, overcome with love, grabbed his wife and, like his daughter earlier, scooped her up in his arms.

"Arthur! What about the dishes?"

"They'll be there in the morning dear," he said, finishing with a kiss.

Molly's heart fluttered in her chest as if it was her first time. "I love you Mr. Weasley."

"And I you Mrs. Weasley."

With that they made their way to the master bedroom to partake of the gifts of blessed marriage.

The next morning found Mr. Weasley sitting at the table with his eldest son as Molly prepared breakfast.

"Bill, I need you to do something for me," he said as he set down that morning's newspaper.

Bill took a sip of his coffee as he nodded, "Sure thing Dad. What's up?"

"I need you to contact the Order and have them start looking for Harry."

There was a clatter as Molly dropped the pan that she had picked up. "What's wrong with Harry, Arthur?" Bill's eyes asked the same question.

Arthur looked at both of them each in turn, "I believe that he's in trouble. Quite possibly big trouble." He briefed them on his conversation with Ginny from the night before.

Bill's face filled with concern as Molly put a hand to her mouth, "Oh Arthur! What are we going to do? We have to find our Harry!"

"_Our_ Harry?" Arthur asked while suppressing a smile.

"Of course _our_ Harry. You know he's family. We're all he has!"

Arthur sobered quickly as he thought of all the loved ones that Harry had lost in his short lifetime. "As always you are right Molly. That is why we are going to leave no stone unturned as we look for him."

Molly nodded in satisfaction as Bill said, "So what all is the plan?"

Arthur took a breath before beginning, "Bill I want you to round up the Order and have them start inquiring about Harry and his whereabouts. I'm going to ask around at the Ministry and see if I can't get a lead or two. And I'm going to have George and Ron keep their ears open for gossip about Harry at the Joke shop. As soon as we can find out something, the quicker we can pinpoint Harry's location."

Molly sat down next to her husband and took his hand. 'What do you want me to do dear?"

Arthur smiled. "Molly, I need you to floo Minerva and inform her of the situation. Ask her to keep an eye out and then ask her if she would be willing to let Hermione come back to Hogwarts this term."

Molly seemed confused. "Hermione? I'm sure she would love to go back, but why?"

"I need someone there to keep watch over Ginny," Arthur explained. "This way Ginny won't go running off and try to find Harry by herself. Besides, I think Hermione is still a tad upset about not getting a chance to do her N.E.W.T.s," he finished with a chuckle.

"That's a good idea, Dad!" Bill agreed wholeheartedly. "I'll also ask around at Gringotts and see if I can't find out something."

"Excellent! Now I don't have to remind you how important it is that we remain discreet about this. We don't want reporters flooding the Wizarding world with stories speculating as to what happened to Harry."

"Of course!" both of them said at once.

Bill drained his coffee in one gulp and stood, "Well I better get to it then if we want to find Harry."

Mrs. Weasley protested, "But Bill! You haven't had breakfast yet!"

Bill just shrugged, "I'll eat a big lunch to compensate, I promise. Besides, the sooner I leave, the quicker I getting my brother back."

Molly's eyes misted over as she wordlessly nodded.

Arthur stood and shook his son's hand, "Very well. Good luck son. Be sure to let me know whatever you find out."

"Sure thing Dad." Bill said as he returned Arthur's handshake, kissed Mrs. Weasley and headed out the door for the apparition point.

Sometime later, Ron, Hermione and Ginny made it downstairs to the kitchen where breakfast was laid out for them.

"Oh good!" said Mrs. Weasley as she noticed them come shuffling in. "I was just about to call you to come down."

Ginny sighed as she sat down at the table. She knew that there was no time better than the present to say what she had to say. "Mum, I need to tell you something."

Mrs. Weasley didn't seem to pay much attention as she busied herself with setting out their plates and glasses. "What's that dear?"

Ginny took a deep breath and rushed everything out at once. "I'mnotgoingbacktoHogwartsthisyear."

Mrs. Weasley stopped dead in her tracks. "What did you just say?" She fixed Ginny with a stare that would have made a battalion of Aurors quail. "I could have sworn you said that you weren't going to attend Hogwarts this year."

Ginny lifted her chin in defiance. "That's right mum. I'm going to go look for Harry..." she glanced to the couple sitting next to her, "And Ron and Hermione are going to help me."

Mrs. Weasley now turned her gaze to the two other kids who immediately blushed and lowered their gazes to examine the kitchen table. "I see. So they are involving themselves in this ridiculousness as well?"

Ginny just nodded. She had discussed the events of yesterday with them earlier and they had developed this plan not five minutes ago. 'It's not stupid mum. Harry needs _me_… He needs _us_. We have to find him!"

"Well I am quite sorry young lady, but that position has already been handed out. Your father has dispatched the Order to look for Harry, and he is also going to get the Ministry to begin looking as well." Mrs. Weasley replied. "With so many people looking for him, he's bound to turn up soon. I _suggest_ that you not worry yourself about this and instead focus on your last year at Hogwarts." It was evident by her tone that Mrs. Weasley's previous statement was not much in the way of a suggestion.

Ginny's temper was beginning to rise to the surface now. "You can't stop us from going after Harry! I love him and I'm not going to let him rot somewhere until you stumble upon him!"

Mrs. Weasley, who secretly was ecstatic at her daughter's confession of love for Harry, knew that she had to take a different approach if she was going to head off a potential stealing away in the night of the three teenagers in front of her. "Well I'd imagine that Hermione is going to find it a tad difficult to be searching all over the country for Harry when she has classes to attend."

Hermione, who had been watching this verbal exchange between the two Weasley females started at the mention of her name. "Wha? Uh, Mrs. Weasley… what do you mean that I have classes to attend?"

"Oh I almost forgot to tell you, dear." Mrs. Weasley said, concealing a sly smile. "Professor McGonagall flooed me earlier this morning and told me that both you and Ron were more than welcome to come back to Hogwarts to finish your seventh year studies and take your N.E.W.T.s."

Ron groaned at this news while Hermione, as expected, almost squealed with delight. "Did you hear that Ron? She said we could go back and finish our seventh year! This is so exciting! But oh dear, I haven't even done any homework or read any of the material yet! Excuse me please!" And with that she dashed from the table and up to the bedroom she shared with Ginny.

Ginny knew that she had been easily outmaneuvered by her mother, but she couldn't help but get in one final shot. "Well fine then. We'll go to school. But I can't believe that I actually thought that you cared about Harry and what happens to him."

Mrs. Weasley's face drained of all its color. She stood stunned as if Ginny had slapped her in the face. Ron sat gaping like a fish for two seconds before turning tail and running up the stairs after Hermione, desperate to avoid the confrontation that was about to take place.

It took a moment before Mrs. Weasley could compose herself enough to speak. "How dare you say those horrid things about me Ginevra Weasley. I have done nothing but try to show Harry love and what it means to be a member of a proper family. One that loves him as their own."

Ginny was going to defend herself and her words, but she was caught totally off guard by the quiet, trembling voice of her mother.

"I have watched him day in and day out as he has struggled to try and make sense of a life that has done nothing but require him to sacrifice everything and everyone that he held dear to him. I've seen the scars, both physically and mentally, that he has had to endure so that others could have hope. I've watched him from the doorway of Ron's room as he's tossed and turned, caught up in nightmares that would drive any normal person mad with grief. Yet he did it all freely, not complaining about his burden, but shouldering a responsibility that was way too much for him to bear. All that I have _ever_ wanted is to see Harry happy, to see him safe. So _never ever_ say that I do not care about that boy because I love him as if he was my very own flesh and blood."

With her mother's final words, Ginny burst into tears, unable to control herself any longer. The things that her mother said cut her like a knife and she suddenly found herself extremely ashamed of what she had just accused her of.

In an instant, Mrs. Weasley was at her daughter's side, gently holding her in her arms as she sobbed. "I'm so sorry mum! I'm just scared for Harry!"

"I know dear," Mrs. Weasley replied. "Harry is really lucky to have someone like you who cares for him so much. Now…" she smoothly changed the subject, "…how about we go to Diagon Alley today and get your things for school?"

Ginny sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "Okay. I'd imagine Hermione would have a fit if we didn't go before long." She managed a small laugh.

"There's a dear now." Mrs. Weasley smiled. "Go and tell our two lovebirds to get ready and we'll leave in an hour."

Ginny giggled as she gave her mother a hug and ran upstairs to inform the two others of their plans for the day.

Diagon Alley was bustling as usual when the three teens and Mrs. Weasley arrived later that morning. As usual, the first place that Hermione raced for was Flourish and Blott's to look for the books she would need for her final term. Ron just sighed as he prepared to make his way into the bookstore in search of his girlfriend. That's when Mrs. Weasley did something that threw Ginny for quite a loop. Her mother walked up to Ron and put her arm around his shoulder before speaking.

"Ron, you don't really want to go back to school do you?"

Ron, looking somewhat perplexed, thought for a second before answering. "Well school's not so bad I suppose, but it's not going to be the same… I mean, Hermione will be there… but Harry is… you know… and well, I just don't think it'd be the same."

Mrs. Weasley smiled warmly at her youngest son and his obvious conflict between his best mate and his girlfriend. "Ron, I'm so proud of you. You are such a good friend to Harry. I know you want to help him, but I also know you don't want to be away from Hermione either." Ron blushed as she went on. "I want you to know that you don't have to go back to Hogwarts if you don't want to."

Both Ginny and Ron were shocked when their mother said this. Molly Weasley not caring if one of her children completed their education?

Ron was finding it difficult to form his words. "But… what about… um… Hermione?"

Mrs. Weasley chuckled quietly as she drew her son closer. "Well I think I may have an answer for you. Isn't George preparing to open a new branch of the Joke shop in Hogsmeade? Why don't we see if you can't move there and take over for him? I mean, you have been helping him all summer, so you should be able to pick it up easily enough right? That way you can be close to Hermione and still in the loop when it comes to Harry."

Ron's face lit up as his mother's words sunk in. "Thanks mum! I'm going to go tell Hermione the good news!' Without another word he ran full tilt into the bookstore.

Ginny turned to her mother, "What are you going to do if George doesn't let him run the new shop?"

Mrs. Weasley didn't even break a smile when she replied, "Oh, he's going to give Ron a job. He will if he knows what's good for him…"

Ginny laughed as she and her mother entered the store in Ron's wake.

Flourish and Blott's was crammed full of people as usual. Children and parents were hustling to purchase books for the upcoming Hogwarts term. The air was warm with all the people in such close proximity and Ginny was beginning to feel smothered by the heat. Knowing that her mother would take care of procuring her textbooks, she instead went in search of Ron and Hermione.

She found the couple in a corner of the store away from the majority of shoppers. Ron was talking animatedly to his girlfriend. "Probably telling Hermione about Mum's proposal," Ginny thought to herself noticing the less than pleased look on Hermione's face.

"I don't know Ron, N.E.W.T.s are really important for wizards and I just don't think it's a good idea to skip them when Professor McGonagall has given you the opportunity to retake them."

"But Hermione, you know it's not going to be the same it Hogwarts. I just don't think I can be there without my best mate." Ron replied looking somewhat crestfallen.

"Nevertheless, it would be in your best interest to stay on and MMMFFF!"

Ginny watched in shock as Ron stopped Hermione in mid-lecture by grabbing her waist and attacking her lips with a fierce kiss. Hermione stiffened in surprise for a moment before melting into Ron's arms and returning his kiss with equal passion. Ginny laughed to herself as she determined that Ron had finally found a good way to end Hermione's constant lectures without getting into a row.

As she secretly watched the beginning of what was soon to be an all out snog-fest, she decided that she should, for the sake of propriety of course, break up the couple before they caused a scandal.

With a smile ghosting her lips, Ginny walked into the open and said in an inquisitive voice, "Blimey, Ron I didn't realize that you knew how to perform Muggle CPR!"

The couple shot apart instantly like two opposing magnets, that is if magnets could blush like tomatoes. "Bloody hell Ginny, can't we _ever_ have a moment of peace?" Ron hissed.

"Oh of course you can Ronnie dearest!" Ginny said sweetly. "I gave you quite a few moments before I decided you needed a verbal cold shower."

"Just how long have you been watching us?" Ron asked angrily.

'Long enough." Ginny replied with a smirk.

Hermione tried to change the subject. "So Ginny, did you get all of your books yet?"

Ginny just shrugged. "I'd imagine that mum is getting them right now. I thought I'd come and find you two because I felt smothered with all the peop-" Suddenly, Ginny gasped, going pale.

Both Ron and Hermione looked at Ginny with alarm. Hermione grabbed her arm as she swayed on her feet. "Ginny what's wrong?"

Ginny was unable to answer because suddenly the pendant Harry had given her jumped against her skin, sending an intense burning pain across her body. Her head began to swim as a door seemed to open in her mind. Feelings of pain and anger came flowing through the opened door, overwhelming her senses and giving her a strong feeling of nausea.

Suddenly, Ginny was aware that she was sitting on the floor being held by Hermione. There was a bitter, metallic taste in her mouth that reminded her of blood. As she tried to figure out what was happening, Ron reappeared at her side with a frightened Mrs. Weasley. Immediately, Mrs. Weasley knelt beside her daughter, asking a million questions.

"Ginny what's wrong? Are you ill? Please speak to me!"

Ginny knew what was wrong. This same type of feeling had come yesterday. Barely finding the strength to speak, she murmured, "It's Harry. He's in trouble again!"

Mrs. Weasley looked grim. She seemed to be contemplating all her options before making up her mind. "That settles it. I'm going to go inform your father that action needs to be taken _now_. Hermione. Ron. Will you please take Ginny back home and get her in bed? I will be home with your school things after I've talked with your father."

With the two teen's help she got Ginny to her feet and moving towards the door. The intensity of the experience she just had left Ginny trembling like a newborn colt. It took some slow going and a couple of rests to get Ginny back to the Leaky Cauldron so that they could floo home.

Once back at the Burrow, Ron and Hermione got Ginny into bed where she fell asleep almost instantly. The remaining two stood next to her bed holding hands as they tried to assimilate just what exactly was going on.

Hermione was the first to break the silence. "Ron, what do you think is wrong with Harry?' There was a slight tremble in her voice.

Ron, whose gaze lingered on his slumbering sister, was unsure. "I don't know Hermione. But I do know one thing. I can't stand seeing my sister like this. We've got to stop this."

"You can't be suggesting that this is Harry's fault?" Hermione asked incredulously.

Ron just shook his head. "Of course not. Harry is in trouble, even more so than Ginny. We've got to figure out where he is so we can help him."

Hermione turned and gave her boyfriend a small kiss on his cheek. "We will Ron. We always do."

Ron just sighed as he continued to watch over his sister. "I hope we do Hermione. I hope we do."


	5. The Ride and the Return

**_The Ride and the Return_**

Ginny muttered to herself as she watched the scenery fly past her compartment window. This was the last time she would be riding the Hogwarts Express, but the importance of the event was totally lost on her at the moment. In fact, the only thing that she could feel was the complete feeling of helplessness and frustration. Ever since the incident at Diagon Alley she felt like she was running on borrowed time and Harry was coming closer and closer to the point of no rescue. She had wandered the Burrow aimlessly, wringing her hands as she waited for some sort of information concerning Harry and his secret location. There were daily reports, both from Mr. Weasley and from members of the Order, but none of them were able to get even the tiniest scrap of information concerning Harry's whereabouts. Ginny felt a little piece of her faith fade with each inconclusive report, but she felt in her heart of hearts that Harry would be alright as long as she never gave up loving him.

Ginny's thoughts were broken, finally, by the door of the compartment sliding open, allowing Ron and Hermione to enter. Hermione was more than within her rights to be on the train and would have rather died than miss her last ride to Hogwarts. Ron was another matter. Since he was not finishing his education, he really did not have any business riding the train. However, Professor McGonagall had extended him an invite once she had learned from Mrs. Weasley that Ron would be moving to Hogsmeade to take over the new branch of Weasley Wizarding Wheezes. Ginny figured that Ron and Hermione's status as a couple may have played a small part in the invitation as well, but she kept that to herself.

As the two sat down across from her, Hermione broke the silence, "I can't believe that I'm finishing at Hogwarts."

"I can't believe you're finishing either," mumbled Ron a little too loud, earning a light slap from Hermione.

"Ow! That really hurt, Hermione!" Ron said rubbing his arm and looking a little too hurt for Ginny to believe him.

Concern suddenly washed across Hermione's face. "Oh, Ron, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! Let me see if I can't make it feel better." With that, she took his arm in her hand and kissed the place she had slapped a moment before. "Is that any better?" she asked looking through her eyelashes.

Ginny noticed a very faint twitch of a smile playing at the corner of her brother's mouth. "A bit, I guess," he said hesitantly. "But I think my neck is hurting a little now."

"Oh no!" Hermione gasped as Ginny rolled her eyes. "Let me take care of that immediately!" She brought her mouth to Ron's neck and kissed gently. "Anywhere else?"

Ron paused, made a big show of thinking hard, then brought a finger to his cheek and onward to his lips.

Hermione blushed a bit before leaning forward to kiss Ron's cheek. When she moved to his lips however, Ron encircled his arms around her waist, pulling her into his lap and seizing the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Hermione sighed deeply as Ginny made retching sounds across the compartment.

"Come on you two! If I wanted to be privy to an explicit snog session I would listen to a soap opera instead of watching you two playing doctor!"

The couple broke apart reluctantly and turned their attention to Ginny. "Well, I think you just wish that it was you, little sister," Ron said with a smirk.

Ginny feigned a look of disgust before returning his smirk. "Ron that's disgusting! I would _never_ want to snog with my own brother!"

Hermione giggled as Ron blushed, realizing the implications of what he had just said. He tried to recover. "You know what I mean! You wish you had someone to get intimate with."

Ginny gave him an evil grin. "Oh don't worry, brother dear. I'm saving up for the right moment with a certain someone. And then, believe me, you will see a new meaning for the word _intimate_."

Ron gasped, blushing beet red once again, which caused Ginny and Hermione both to let out peals of laughter. Just then, the food trolley came by, distracting Ron and the others from anything other than their rumbling stomachs.

Once they had eaten more than what was probably good for them, Ginny found herself thinking about Harry again. She sighed sadly as she tried to understand why he chose to act the way he did. He always seemed to want to push others away, even those who truly wanted to help him. She figured that this probably had something to do with the way that he was raised by those horrid Muggle relatives of his. Of course, this was just speculation on her part because Harry had never really discussed much of his past with anyone, let alone her.

"He had been close though," she thought to herself. This was true. In their short time as a couple, she had been successful in drawing him out of his shell more and more. She found that the easiest way to do this was to just be there for him, showing him nothing but love and a willingness to listen without judging him. That was how she had been able to get him to talk about Sirius' death. It seemed to help him with his internal struggles a little, yet she could sense that there was still a wall that she could not break down. Harry seemed to possess an inhuman ability to suppress his emotions, well, except for his anger. As far as she could remember, she had never seen him express anything other than anger. It was almost as if a thick blanket covered everything, making it seem dull and muted.

Almost as if on cue, the necklace on her neck gave a tiny jump and began to radiate heat, much like it had the previous two times. Ginny was quick to inform her friends this time. "Guys, it's happening again. The necklace is getting warm!" The other two quickly moved to either side of her, Hermione with an interested look on her face.

"Ginny, I want to study this necklace as it reacts. Would you please take it out from under your shirt?"

Ginny nodded slowly and pulled the necklace out from under her t-shirt. Astoundingly, it was pulsating with a crimson red light. The trio was stricken speechless, but Hermione was the first to recover. Slowly she reached out to take the emerald pendant in her hand. As soon as her fingers brushed the gem, however, a bright light shot out and struck her, causing her to jerk her hand back.

"Ow! It shocked me!" she said before sticking her fingers in her mouth.

Apparently Ron had had enough. "Ginny, take that thing off now! There is something seriously bad about that necklace."

Ginny complied at once, reaching behind her neck to undo the clasp. Much to her confusion and slight fear, the clasp was nowhere to be found. "Where did the clasp go? All that's back there is a solid chain!"

Suddenly, the burning sensation coming from the necklace amplified, causing Ginny to cry out. Ron immediately grabbed the necklace to try and find the clasp, receiving a shock just like Hermione had. He jerked back in pain trying to figure out what to do. "I know, Ginny! Just pull it off over your head!"

Ginny nodded, starting to feel a wellspring of horror rising from the pit of her stomach along with the feelings of anger radiating from Harry's gift. Unfortunately, it appeared that the necklace was not going to cooperate in this manner either. Every time she started to pull the necklace over her head, the chain would get smaller and smaller, keeping her from even getting it over her nose. Defeated, she let it fall back into place around her neck. "I can't! The necklace won't let me take it off!"

Hermione, who had been studying the situation, suddenly spoke. "Ginny… I think that you are never going to be able to get it off. At least not for some time."

Ginny whirled to stare incredulously at her best friend. "What do you mean I might _never_ be able to take it off?"

Hermione's expression was thoughtful. "I can't say for certain just yet, but I think that your necklace is infused with very deep and ancient magic. I've only run across mentions of this once or twice, but I think that the necklace has bonded itself to you."

Ginny and Ron's eyes grew wide. "Bonded to me? What does that mean?" Ginny was having trouble keeping her voice steady through the haze of emotions radiating from the emerald.

Hermione's eyes glazed over as she searched for information within her mind. "If my memory serves me well, I believe it means that the necklace will only respond to you and will punish anyone who tries to remove it from your person. Usually they won't allow the wearer to remove them without a special word or phrase as well."

"So that means I just have to live with the horrible things that it does from time to time?" Ginny asked despairingly.

"Well as soon as we get to Hogwarts, I'm going to see if I can find more information about this type of thing in the library. Who knows, maybe there will be a way to get it off of you neck." Hermione tried to maintain an optimistic tone.

Ginny sighed as she felt the heat start to fade from the necklace, noticing that Ron was muttering darkly to himself. Knowing what he was probably thinking, she put a hand on his arm. "Ron, it's not Harry's fault that this is happening."

Ron was somewhat taken aback that his sister could read him so well. "But he gave it to you as a gift. He had to have known what it does."

Ginny shook her head. "No he doesn't know. All he was able to get out of the person he bought it from was that it wasn't an object of dark magic. Besides, it could very well be a blessing in disguise."

Ron was even more bewildered by this statement. "How do you get that?"

"Well, if it wasn't for this necklace, I wouldn't have seen Harry and known that he was in trouble."

Ron shook his head in wonder. "Ginny you are hard to get sometimes, you know that?"

Ginny just smiled kindly at her brother. "What's a girl to do if she can't be mysterious sometimes?"

Hermione took this moment to speak up again. "Ginny, I noticed that you didn't react as violent to the necklace this time. Are you developing a resistance to it?"

Ginny thought for a second before shaking her head. "No. I think it affects me the same. It's just that the emotions I normally feel were a lot weaker this time. They were still powerful, but not as much as they had been previously."

"What do you think that means?" Hermione asked.

"I'm not sure. It might mean that Harry is getting better, but then again perhaps it means he is getting worse."

The three fell silent as they tried to comprehend the meanings behind Ginny's words. Minutes passed, and before that had realized it, the train was coming to a stop at their final destination. Ron stood and pulled the girls' trunks down as they gathered together their things. Once outside the train, they segregated themselves from the other students who were clamouring to get to the carriages.

"Be sure to take care of yourself, Ginny. Let someone know if things start to get crazy," Ron said as he gave her a rough hug.

Ginny returned the embrace. "And you make sure not to lose all of George's money at the shop."

Ginny had to jump out of the way as Hermione jumped into a startled Ron's arms, covering his face with kisses. "Be sure to take care of yourself, Ron, and write me often!" She sounded as if she was fighting back tears.

Ron put his arms around his girlfriend. "Blimey, Hermione, I'm just going to be in Hogsmeade. That's only a hop skip and jump from the castle. You can come see me any time you want."

"Really?" Hermione asked, giving him a shy look.

"Of course! Ron Weasley always has time for a pretty lady."

A sudden thought came to Hermione. "Does that mean there is _more_ than one pretty lady?" There seemed to be a hint of steel in her voice.

Ron shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I am a pretty popular guy… saving the world and all that jazz."

Hermione adopted a spread stance and shook her figure at the now grinning Weasley. "Ronald Weasley! If I find out that you are holding court with a bunch of idiotic female admirers I'm going to hex you into next week!"

Ron gave a great laugh and swept a protesting Hermione back into his arms. "Oh Merlin, Hermione! I love you and no, there are no other pretty ladies."

This seemed to appease Hermione and she proceeded to give Ron a very passionate kiss in response.

Ginny sighed and figured that she was going to have to once again break the couple up from their little kissing adventure. Surprisingly enough, Ron actually ended the kiss and set Hermione back on the ground. "Well I guess I better get on down to the village. We open up first thing in the morning and I need to get unpacked and all. Take care and come and visit me soon!"

With a wave and smile, Ron and his trunk disappeared, Apparating to the village.

Ginny turned to her best friend, who seemed to be fighting the sniffles. "Come on, Hermione. Let's get a carriage before we end up having to walk."

The two girls were able to get the last carriage and before they knew it, they were making their way down the road to Hogwarts for their final year of school. Both of them remained silent for the ride, content merely to be in each other's company as a river of memories flowed thick between them.

Ginny would always remember the first feast of her last year at Hogwarts. The Great Hall was packed as usual, and the mood had been joyful as could be understood considering the outcome of the war a few months ago. The house elves saw that the food was abundant and of the highest quality, but no matter what food she put in her mouth, it all seemed to taste like ashes. Ginny decided about halfway through the feast that there was no point in eating and instead resigned herself to taking small sips from her pumpkin juice.

Professor McGonagall, now the Headmistress of Hogwarts, had been watching Ginny through the entire feast. She knew that Miss Weasley had undergone a great deal of stress lately, what with the death of her brother Fred, and now this frightful mess concerning Harry Potter. She knew that Ginny would need someone to keep a close eye on her as she worked to come to terms with events as of late. Minerva decided that she would have to have a talk with Hermione Granger and make sure that she understood that she needed to keep a watch on Ginny. But before any of that, the Headmistress needed to dismiss this rowdy bunch to their beds and have a little chat with Miss Weasley herself.

Once it looked like everyone had finished up their favourite deserts, McGonagall stood and addressed the crowd before her. "Students, I would like to welcome you once again to Hogwarts. I trust that you will find everything that had been set amiss from the events that transpired earlier this year have been put right. With that being said, I wish you all a good evening and good luck with your studies this term."

As one, the students got up from their places and began to make their way to their respective common rooms. Ginny and Hermione stayed seated, waiting for the majority of the crowd to die down. They were quite surprised when they noticed that Professor McGonagall had approached where they were sitting and turned to look at them.

"Miss Granger. Miss Weasley. It is good to see you back at Hogwarts this year."

Hermione smiled. "It's great to be back, Professor! Thank you so much for letting me come back to sit my NEWTs!"

McGonagall gave a small smile. "It's my pleasure. I knew you wanted to formally complete your education, and it wasn't a difficult thing to arrange." She then turned to Ginny. "Miss Weasley, might I speak with you for a moment in my office?" Ginny, unsure of what this meant, nodded and stood up.

Hermione gave her an encouraging smile. "Go ahead, Ginny, I'll meet you back in the common room. I'm going to run to the library to start looking for books for researching what we discussed earlier." With that she turned and walked out of the Great Hall.

"Excellent," said McGonagall. "Follow me to my office."

Ginny obediently fell into step behind the new Headmistress, a million thoughts racing through her mind. McGonagall was a member of the Order. Perhaps, they had found out where Harry was! She allowed this wild hope to soar in her chest.

Upon arriving at the stone gargoyle outside the Headmistress's office, McGonagall called out, "Chocolate Frogs." Immediately the statue sprang back and they ascended the staircase to the office.

"I felt that keeping the passwords sweet related was something of a tribute to Professor Dumbledore," McGonagall explained, noticing Ginny's quizzical look. Ginny smiled at this, remembering Dumbledore's legendary fondness for sweets.

Once inside her office, Ginny noticed that McGonagall had finally redecorated it to suit her tastes. It looked very much like her old Transfiguration office. Everything was neatly arranged and orderly. It had a few cushy chairs and throw rugs, which gave the room a homey, welcoming feel. The portraits of previous Hogwarts headmasters remained behind her desk, most of the inhabitants already asleep.

After motioning Ginny to take a chair, McGonagall sat down behind her desk. Seeing the direct route as the easiest to take, she plunged right in. "Miss Weasley, I want you to promise me that you won't do anything dangerous this year."

Ginny, caught somewhat off guard by the Headmistress's words, stammered a reply. "Yes Ma'am."

"Good," McGonagall seemed pleased. "Now there are some things I need you to do. First I need you to leave all this business concerning Harry Potter to those of us in the Order and the Ministry. This is your NEWTs year, and I can't stress how important that is for your future."

Ginny nodded, not trusting herself to speak for the tears that were brimming near the surface.

"Secondly," and with this, McGonagall's face softened, "I want you to trust me."

Ginny was once again startled by this request. "Professor?"

McGonagall continued, "I want you to trust me and inform me if Harry tries to contact you, or if you have visions of any sort. Also, I want you to trust me when I tell you that I will not keep you in the dark if something happens concerning him. We all know how much you care for young Potter, and I want you to know that I am going to do all I can to assist in finding him. So please rest easy and know that I am on top of the matter."

Suddenly, Ginny could control herself and burst into tears. On impulse, she stood and ran behind the desk to embrace a startled McGonagall. "Oh Professor! Thank you so much for your help! I don't know what I'd do if something bad happened to Harry."

McGonagall could only pat Ginny's head and quietly reassure her. "There, there now. I think that's enough for tonight. Why don't you go on to your dormitory and try and get some rest?"

Ginny nodded, giving the Headmistress a final thank you before turning and exiting the office.

Almost as if in a daze, Ginny found herself walking the familiar halls to the Gryffindor Tower. When she reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, she realized that she didn't know the new password.

The Fat Lady seemed to notice this among other things. "Goodness gracious! You're the girl Harry Potter is smitten with! No password needed for you tonight, dearie. Go on in and get yourself some rest!" Ginny mumbled a thank you and stepped through the portal.

The common room was quiet since most of the students had already gone to bed. Ginny ignored everyone else and headed straight for the seventh-year dorm, ready to fall onto her bed and drift away into nothingness.

Upon entering her room she barely took time to recognize the fact that Hermione was sharing a dorm with her as they were now in the same year. Instead, she made for her bed, flinging herself upon it without even bothering to change into her pyjamas. She hoped that Hermione, who apparently hadn't returned from the library yet, would have the decency to wait to talk to her in the morning. If not, she might have to send a hex or two her way.

As she hovered on the verge of sleep, Ginny's mind wandered over the events of the past few weeks. The last image that she remembered was that heartbreaking vision of Harry in the mirror before he submitted to his rage. As she began to slide into sleep, her hand unconsciously drifted to take hold of the emerald on her necklace.

"It's okay Harry. I'm coming for you," she whispered and knew no more.


	6. The Emerald Looking Glass

**_The Emerald Looking Glass_**

Not since her frightful first year at Hogwarts had Ginny felt so helpless. She had hoped that answers would soon be forthcoming concerning Harry, at least considering the amount of time and manpower that was being consumed searching for him. However, this was not the case. No leads had been unearthed since the search had begun, and it was beginning to appear as if it was nothing more than a fruitless endeavour to try and find the dark-haired saviour of the Wizarding World. The total lack of any information was slowly draining the life from the normally vivacious Weasley girl.

This was not the only thing that was taking its toll on Ginny. Far worse were the dreams and pains that would come to her at night as she tried to sleep. It seemed that, every night, her mind would fill with those pitiful images of Harry, his rage and shame washing over her, causing her to writhe painfully amongst the confines of her covers. Hermione did all she could to comfort her, but these pains and dreams seemed to be beyond the normal scope of nightmares and refused to abate in the face of the older girl's gentle ministrations.

Hermione had very little luck finding some sort of information in the school's library concerning Ginny's necklace and its bonding to her. As her frustration grew, she expanded her search to books that she had earlier disregarded as having nothing to do with the strange piece jewellery.

Hermione did not need anyone to tell her how important it was that she found some sort of answers for Ginny quickly. She could see her friend quite literally wasting away in front of her eyes. Being consistently denied the opportunity to sleep, Ginny was losing her appetite, and soon began dropping weight at an alarming pace. Considering the fact that Ginny wasn't very big to begin with, Hermione knew that if things didn't improve soon, the girl would have to be taken to St. Mungo's for treatment. Because of this, there was hardly a moment that Hermione was not in the library researching. Professor McGonagall had even given her special permission to be out after curfew so that she could continue searching.

Everything that had to do with these strange events was unexplainable. Mr. Weasley and the Order had managed to get a rough idea of Harry's movements during the summer and had discovered that Harry had been seen shopping in Diagon Alley a short while before Ginny's birthday. When they pursued the matter further they found that Harry had gone into a magical jewellery store that was somewhat removed from the main stretch of shops. This was not what was so unusual, however. What was unusual was that the particular shop that Harry had been seen going into had not been open for over a hundred years. No one had reopened it since then, and Mr. Weasley found himself standing in front of the store, staring into the darkened windows showcasing old dust-covered mannequins. None of it made sense. How could Harry have bought something from a store that had been abandoned for over a century?

Mrs. Weasley was fairing no better. She was continually on the verge of tears as Professor McGonagall and Hermione kept her up to date on Ginny's rapidly deteriorating health. She found herself remembering the summer after Ginny's first year at Hogwarts. Almost every night, she had found herself rushing to her only daughter's room, holding her in her arms as Ginny relived the horror of the Chamber of Secrets in her dreams. The difference now was that Ginny was at Hogwarts, and she could do nothing but sit on the sidelines as her daughter's life slowly dissolved away.

Mrs. Weasley made up for this as best she could, constantly sending Ginny letters of encouragement, telling her to be happy and enjoy her time at school with her friends. With these letters, she would send little boxes of homemade sweets that she knew Ginny loved, hoping that she would at least eat those.

It was one of these packages that Ginny found herself opening at breakfast one morning. She gave a wan smile as she read the frantically encouraging words of her mother in the note accompanying her package. It was a rare sight to see the youngest Weasley smile these days, and even rarer to hear her beautiful shimmering laugh. Try as she could, she just couldn't find anything to laugh about anymore.

"Hiya, Ginny!" She slowly pulled her eyes away from her note to see Dennis Creevey taking a seat next to her at the table. The last thing Ginny had the energy for was a conversation, but she summoned the strength to respond.

"Hi, Dennis. How are you?"

Dennis flashed a smile at the redhead. "I'm doing splendid, thanks for asking." He glanced at the package on the table in front of Ginny. "I see you got another box of sweets from your Mum."

Ginny glanced at the box and shrugged. "Yeah, but I don't really want any sweets at the moment." She thought for a moment before looking at Dennis again. "Would you like to have them?"

Dennis looked excited at first, after all, Mrs. Weasley's culinary skills were legendary, but his smile soon faded. "Oh, I appreciate it, Ginny, but I don't want to take your present from your Mum!"

Ginny gave a small smile, setting a new record for breakfast this term. "I insist. You'll enjoy it more than I will. Go on and take it. I know you want to."

Dennis seemed torn for a moment before breaking once again into a smile. "Okay, Ginny, I'll take it…but only because you insist." He swept the package into his arms. "Well, I guess I'll see you around." Ginny nodded and returned to her thoughts, not noticing Dennis's departure.

Finally, it was time for classes, and Ginny reluctantly dragged herself to each one, knowing that each period would be an intense test of will, as she fought to remain awake for the duration of the lesson. More often than not, she lost this battle, and found herself napping fitfully at the back of the classroom. At the insistence of Professor McGonagall, the other teachers were giving Ginny a little bit of leeway when it came to her random class-time napping sessions. Professor McGonagall determined that Ginny should get whatever sleep she could, considering nothing was putting a dent in her nighttime problems. Not even a Potion of Dreamless Sleep brewed by Madame Pomfrey stopped the visions she experienced almost every night.

Ginny mulled over the hopelessness of the situation as she finished her last class for the day and began the journey back to the Gryffindor dormitory. If she was lucky, she thought, she might be able to doze off in her favourite Common Room chair before the visions woke her up again. Rounding a corner, she collided with an excited Hermione, causing both of them to drop the books they were carrying.

"Whoops! Sorry, Ginny, I didn't see you there!" Hermione said as she brushed herself off and helped Ginny to collect her things.

"S'ok, Hermione. I should have been paying better attention," said the tiny redhead. "How has your day been?"

Hermione started bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. "Great, considering I found some information about your necklace!"

Ginny gasped, her friend earning her undivided attention. "You did? Tell me, please!"

Hermione nodded, but then looked around at the various students walking past. "I will, but this isn't the best place," she whispered secretly, motioning towards an empty classroom.

Once they were both inside, Hermione cast a privacy charm on the door, allowing them to talk freely. "I was almost at my wit's end looking for information about your necklace, Ginny," Hermione admitted with a sigh. "I was afraid that the Hogwarts library had failed me at last. But then I expanded my research and happened upon an interesting tidbit of information."

Ginny was almost beside herself in anticipation. "Hurry up and tell me Hermione! I can't stand much more of this!"

Hermione smiled knowingly at her best friend. She knew just how hard things had been for Ginny, the horrible visions, the inability to get any rest, and her deep love and worry for Harry. She pulled a somewhat worn book out of her bag and handed it to Ginny. "The book doesn't say much, but at least it gives me a place from which to research more effectively. I marked the place where I'm positive it's talking about your necklace."

Ginny examined the book, running her tiny fingers over the title. "_Ancient Artefacts and Objects of Wizard Lore_," she murmured as she looked up at the bushy haired witch. "You found something about my necklace in here?"

Hermione nodded. "I actually found it because it has a fairly accurate picture of the necklace in the book. I didn't know what it was exactly until I read the passage."

Ginny turned her gaze back to the book and opened it to the marked passage. Sure enough, there was a sketched drawing of her necklace, accurate to the very last detail. Underneath the drawing was a bold heading with a short paragraph discussing the attributes of Harry's gift.

Ginny scanned the paragraph quickly before looking once again to Hermione. "Are you saying that my necklace happens to be…?"

"The Emerald of Empathy, yes," Hermione replied with a satisfied nod. "Ginny, do you know how important this is?"

Ginny could only shake her head as she tried to put the pieces together. Hermione took a second to compose her thoughts before plunging onward. "It means that you are in the possession of one of the most powerful magical artefacts in Wizarding history. From what little I know about it, the Emerald of Empathy bonds two people together emotionally, allowing one person to truly experience the feelings of the other."

Ginny looked as if she had swallowed a particularly foul potion. "So these things I'm feeling are actually what Harry is feeling?"

Hermione gazed into space for a moment. "As far as I can tell, yes. But this necklace is much more powerful than any spell I've read about."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, apparently there are some spells that you can cast to get a vague idea of how a person is feeling. They are used at St. Mungo's to help treat people suffering from depression and other mental problems."

"Harry is not insane!" Ginny shouted with sudden fury, clenching her hands into fists and beginning to pace back and forth.

Hermione was startled by Ginny's unexpected outburst. She had not seen her best friend exhibit such energy since before the start of term. "That's not what I mean at all, Ginny!" she raised her hands in apology. "I was just drawing a parallel between the necklace's properties and those of the healers at St. Mungo's."

Ginny sighed, trying to will herself to relax. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I just can't stand the thought of Harry being crazy."

Hermione moved to her friend's side, embracing her in a gentle hug. "I know, I know. Harry is not crazy, unless you count the fact that he's crazy to not want to be with you every waking minute."

Ginny returned the hug, smiling at her friend's attempt to cheer her up. "Thanks Hermione, I really do appreciate all your help. Now, tell me how my necklace is more powerful than these healing spells."

"Well it's quite simple, really," Hermione replied. "The spells used by the healers only last for a very short amount of time, usually no more than five minutes. Normally they use these spells as a last resort because it takes so much energy and focus to meld the emotions of two people together. On the other hand, your necklace is much more powerful. You haven't had to focus any magic to activate the necklace, your emotional binding lasts much longer, and you even had an instance of passive possession when you first put it on. Add it all up and you're looking at one powerful magic object, and that's not even taking into consideration the personal bond it's developed with you."

Ginny looked amazed. "Hermione, how do you know all of this stuff?"

Hermione blushed and lowered her eyes a bit. "Well I _do_ read a lot of books…and I've always been fascinated by the differences between Wizard and Muggle medicine. The logical thing would have been to find as many books about the subject and study it, wouldn't you say?"

Ginny laughed joyously for the first time since the term had started, "Oh Hermione! You're an absolute treasure and I love you!" The redhead embraced the startled witch once again in a massive hug.

"I'm glad I could help, Ginny," Hermione said breathlessly.

"So, now that we know that I'm wearing the Emerald of Empathy, what happens now? And how does knowing this help Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Well, now that I know _what_ your necklace is, I can narrow my search considerably. Hopefully I can find more texts that deal exclusively with the Emerald of Empathy, and with that, perhaps a way to use its powers to help Harry," Hermione replied.

Ginny smiled and pumped her fist in the air, once again surprising her best friend. "Yes! Finally it feels like something is going right for a change!"

Hermione laughed in spite of herself, happy to see the bright gleam appearing once again in Ginny's liquid brown eyes. "I think this deserves a bit of a special treat, don't you think? How about we go down to the kitchens and get some snacks from the house elves?"

"Sounds brilliant, Hermione!" Ginny turned and started walking back toward the door of the classroom, Hermione following close behind. About halfway there, she suddenly stopped in her tracks and began to shake violently.

"Ginny, what's wrong?" Hermione asked fearfully, reaching out to steady her.

Before Hermione could grab a hold of her arm, Ginny let out a shuddering moan and fell to the floor, unconscious.

Ginny could feel a throbbing pulse running through her spirit. It resonated within her and seemed hauntingly familiar. Had she heard someone calling her? She knew she had to find the source of the pulse and the call before something terrible happened. She sensed her spirit being pulled from her body which lay on the floor at Hogwarts and across the many miles that separated her from the call. "Faster, faster!" she thought to herself as she travelled the long distance, watching as things began to speed past her.

Suddenly there was a flash of light, and she found her spirit constricted once again in another person's body. Having dealt with this sensation before, she was able to keep a better grip on things. She sat patiently in her mental cage, waiting for events to unfold.

She soon became aware of the quite laborious breathing coming from the person she had possessed. However, she was unable to see anything as of yet, because the person had their eyes clenched tightly closed, as if they were drawing up the nerve to do what they intended to do. As she pondered this set of circumstances, the person she inhabited seemed to come to a decision and opened their eyes.

Ginny found that she was in the same bare room that she had seen in her very first vision. This meant that the person she was possessing was almost certainly Harry. She tried to get a better understanding of where she and Harry were, but once again found herself constricted to the movements of the body she was stuck in. The person looked down and examined themselves. They were sitting in a straight-backed wooden chair, close to the mirror that had been shattered several weeks earlier. In their hand was a jagged piece of glass that had to have once been a piece of the mirror. It was about the size of a small dagger, and appeared to be quite sharp. Ginny felt fear grip her spirit as she caught a reflection of Harry in the glass shard. She felt wave after wave of anger and revulsion building in Harry as he stared at the glass shard that reflected his image.

Reaching a fever pitch of emotion, Harry screamed out, "I CAN'T GET IT OUT!!" He raised the shard high and then drove it deep into his upper leg.

Ginny screamed within the vaults of her mind, echoing the feral shrieks issuing forth from Harry as he plunged the glass blade into his bloody leg again and again. Weeping and still screaming, Ginny felt a sharp tug on her spirit and was once again pulled quickly back to her comatose body, which was now being cradled in Hermione's arms.

When Ginny's spirit fused back with her body, she gave a great jerk and began screaming and fighting against Hermione's hold on her.

"Ginny! Stop! It's me! Please!" Hermione was crying openly now and trying to restrain the thrashing girl in her arms. "Someone please help me! Help!"

Suddenly, the classroom door burst open revealing Professor McGonagall, looking white as a sheet. "Miss Granger! What is wrong with Ginny?"

Hermione sobbed as she continued to hold tightly to Ginny. "I don't know, Professor! We were getting ready to head to the kitchens when she had another attack and passed out. She was out cold for a few minutes and then started thrashing around and screaming like this! I don't know what to do!"

McGonagall studied Ginny Weasley, noticing that her movements were getting weaker. "I think the worst of it is passing, but we have to get her to the hospital wing immediately."

Suddenly, Ginny rolled over on her side and vomited spectacularly onto the classroom floor. She gave a shuddering sigh and began to cry weakly.

McGonagall instantly vanished the vomit and conjured a flannel and a bowl of water. Kneeling down next to the tiny girl, she began to gently wash Ginny's face with the wet cloth, murmuring reassuringly to her all the while. Slowly, she quieted and McGonagall turned her eyes to the trembling Hermione.

"Okay, Miss Granger, I'm going to contact both Madame Pomfrey and Ginny's brother. I want you to remain here for a moment with Ginny and make sure she doesn't go anywhere, understood?"

Hermione could only nod mutely, tears still trickling down her face.

"Excellent. I will be back momentarily. Oh, and thank you for being such a good friend to Ginny, Miss Granger. I'm sure Mr. Potter would be glad to know someone is taking such good care of her in his absence." With that, McGonagall turned and strode quickly out of the room.

Hermione watched the Headmistress depart and then looked down to Ginny, who was still held firmly in her arms. The young redhead had finally fallen into an exhausted sleep and when Hermione noticed this, she relaxed her hold in favour of a more comforting embrace. A single tear escaped and glided down her already damp cheek as she began to gently rock the sleeping girl in her arms. "Oh, Ginny. What am I going to do with you and Harry?"


	7. Interesting Developments

**_Interesting Developments_**

Ginny awoke several hours later to the sound of voices quietly conversing a short distance from her. It took her only a few moments to ascertain that she was in the Hogwarts hospital wing in the company of Madame Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall. She kept her eyes closed as she focused on the sounds coming from a few feet away.

"She seems to be back to normal now, Minerva. I'm not sure what happened to her but any immediate trouble has passed."

"Thank you, Poppy. I appreciate your help and discretion in this matter."

"Well, this entire lot of kids has been through the wringer these past few years. I sometimes feel like I've seen Potter and his bunch more than the rest of the faculty has."

Ginny heard the Headmistress chuckle a bit as she responded, "They do have a habit of getting in harm's way, don't they? I'm just glad that we have such a talented healer to keep them on the mend."

"It's my pleasure, Minerva. To be quite honest, I've grown rather fond of Harry and his friends. Even when they were at their worst, they always gave off such a feeling of life and energy. They definitely made things seem brighter around here."

Ginny smiled to herself. Apparently, Madame Pomfrey wasn't as clinically detached as her bedside manner persona appeared. She heard the two women move a bit closer to her bed so she did her best to imitate the slow steady breathing pattern of someone in a deep sleep.

"I was planning on keeping her here only for the night, but I thought that you should know that I found something quite unusual when I was checking her over," Pomfrey said quietly.

"Oh? What's that, Poppy?"

"Well, it's two things actually. First off, it appears that Miss Weasley is in the possession of quite a powerful magical necklace, one so powerful that it's formed a personal bond with her."

McGonagall seemed surprised. "A personal bond? How can you be sure, Poppy?"

"Well I'm not an expert on these things, but I got quite the electric shock when I went to move that necklace during my diagnosis on Miss Weasley. In my healer training days we discussed item bonds briefly, and from what I can remember, this is like the defense mechanism they employ."

"Well let's see just how powerful this necklace is then."

Ginny steeled herself as she felt McGonagall lean over her body and mutter an incantation softly. Immediately, she felt a warm tingling sensation coming from the emerald on her necklace and she heard the Headmistress gasp in surprise.

"What does it mean, Minerva?" asked Madame Pomfrey curiously.

"It's a simple magic gauging spell," McGonagall replied in awe. "Every magical item gives off a color indicating the amount of power held within the item. The amazing thing is this necklace is giving off a purple glow. Poppy, only some of Albus's _most powerful_ artifacts give off a purple glow, and I would be terrified to even touch some of those items without intense study and preparation."

"Well, how did Miss Weasley come across such a necklace then?"

"I have absolutely no idea, but I will be having a nice discussion with her when she gets up and about. Now, what was the other thing you noticed, Poppy?"

"Well, I found an injury with no explanation, Minerva. It was a pretty deep stab wound on the upper part of her thigh. The strange thing was that there was no bleeding from the wound or anything. I healed it up, but I have yet to figure out how she could have received such an injury without losing any blood. There was no sign of blood on her legs, or clothes! If you ask me, all this seems right strange."

McGonagall sighed. "Nothing is ever normal with Mr. Potter and his friends, I'm afraid. Well, thank you for your help, Poppy. I have to go inform the Weasleys that their daughter is doing better now. Please let me know when you release Ginny."

"Of course, Minerva. Thank you for stopping by." Ginny heard Madame Pomfrey turn and walk away, talking quietly to herself.

Ginny waited for the sound of McGonagall's departure, but she had yet to move. Ginny could feel the stare of the Headmistress on her supposedly sleeping form and she had to do her best to keep from fidgeting under her gaze.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she felt McGonagall place a gentle hand on her covered leg. "I wish Albus was here,' she murmured sadly. "I don't know what to do, and I just can't stand to see these poor children suffer like this."

McGonagall patted Ginny's leg and turned to leave. As she reached the foot of the bed, she stopped and looked at Ginny one more time. "Sleep well, Ginevra," she whispered before turning and heading to the door.

Once alone, Ginny opened her eyes and sat staring at the ceiling. She tried to digest all of the information that was running through her brain at a breakneck speed. She had understood that Hermione said that her necklace was powerful, but she found it hard to believe that the Emerald of Empathy was _that_ magical. How in the world Harry had managed to come across such a potent artifact was beyond her.

And then, there was the whole matter of her strange injury. Ginny couldn't remember receiving it, but she had an idea of where it came from. She wasn't sure whether it would be smart to tell anyone her theory, however. The last thing she needed was someone blowing up at the thought of her receiving unexplainable severe wounds. She might be able to trust Hermione, since she already knew so much about what was going on, but otherwise Ginny decided that it would be best for it to remain a secret from others.

Finally, Ginny's thoughts turned to Harry. With striking clarity, the vision came back to her, bombarding her mind with images of the raven-haired boy and the horrible things he had done to himself. Tears began to flow freely down her fair face as she felt her heart weep for his pain and suffering. If only there was some way that she could hold him. If only she could gently run her hands through his hair and soothe his thoughts, things would be better.

Almost unconsciously, her hand strayed to her necklace, clutching it tight in her tiny fist. Her mind flipped through all her memories of Harry, causing a great swell of love to flow up from her very being. She closed her eyes tight and whispered fiercely, "Harry, I love you so much! Please come back to me! I need you so badly!"

Suddenly, Ginny could hear a faint buzzing in her ears, and a feeling of muffled warmth fell upon her.

"…_Ginny… …please… …need… …you… …me… …help…_"

Ginny sat up straight in her bed. That was Harry's voice! It was muffled and fuzzy, but she knew it had to be him. She called out in a loud voice. "HARRY! HARRY I'M HERE! WHERE ARE YOU!? TELL ME!!" Ginny stood, steadying herself on the bed while trying to find the source of his voice. As soon as she stood, the feeling of warmth fell away and the voice faded.

At that moment, Madame Pomfrey came rushing into the room, startled by the commotion. "Miss Weasley, just what do you think you are doing causing such a ruckus?"

Ginny didn't know how to explain it. "I heard Harry! He needs me and I have to find him! Please help me find him!" She made to move towards the exit.

Madame Pomfrey moved to stand in front of her. "Now, Miss Weasley, Harry isn't here. You were probably just having a dream about him. Come on now, and I'll get you back into bed so you can get rested up." She took her in a gentle but firm grip back to her bed.

Ginny tried to reason with her. "Please, Madame Pomfrey! I wasn't dreaming! I heard Harry and he said he needed me! I have to find him!" Ginny began to cry again.

Madame Pomfrey got her back into the bed and embraced her as she cried. "There now, it's going to be okay. Let me get you something to calm you down a bit." She stood and hurried to her office, coming back with a glass of potion. "Here, drink this and you'll feel much better."

Ginny nodded and downed the potion as she tried to wipe the tears away. In a few seconds, she began to feel her whole body relax as the potion began its work. A feeling of drowsiness washed over her and she felt her eyelids begin to shut of their own accord. As she snuggled down under the covers with a sigh, she heard Madame Pomfrey whisper quietly.

"Goodnight, child."

Ginny awoke next morning as the bright sunlight shone across her bed in the hospital wing. She jumped out of bed, changed quickly and ran into Madame Pomfrey's office, where she found her busy with some paperwork.

"Madame Pomfrey, can I go back to my dormitory now?"

The healer looked up from her work with a smile. "Yes, you are free to go Miss Weasley. And might I say that a good night's sleep seems to have done wonders for you?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes ma'am. I must admit that I do feel better this morning. Much better than I have in a while."

"That's good dear. Go on now and find your friends."

"Thanks." Ginny turned and rushed out of the hospital wing towards the Gryffindor dormitory. She did feel better this morning, but she knew that the reason was not a good night's sleep. She had a purpose now and she was determined to figure out just what had happened last night.

She knew for a fact that Harry's voice really came to her last night. She also knew that she had to find a way to get to him. He had begged for her help and, by Merlin, she was going to give it to him!

Upon entering the Gryffindor common room, she found herself being assaulted by a bushy-haired projectile that embraced her tightly. Feeling the air being pushed from her lungs, Ginny tried to wiggle free. "Her…mione…can't…breathe…"

Hermione let go quickly and stood beaming at Ginny. "Sorry, Ginny! I'm just so glad to see that you're okay! I was so worried last night and I didn't know what to do at all! Thankfully, Professor McGonagall heard me calling out and got to us fast."

Ginny nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Hermione, I'm sorry about what happened last night. I hope I didn't hurt you when I was struggling and all."

The older girl just waved it off. "Don't worry about it, Ginny. I'm just glad that I was there to keep you from hurting yourself too terribly."

Ginny looked around the common room and motioned her over to a secluded corner. "There's more, though. I found out a lot of things last night that are quite interesting." As Hermione listened, Ginny told her about the conversation between McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey concerning her necklace.

Hermione didn't seem too surprised at the results of McGonagall's diagnostic spell. "I told you that your necklace was one of the most powerful magic relics in the Wizarding world."

"Yes, but it seems that it's powerful enough to do more than just reflect emotions and pull someone from their body," Ginny continued.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I think that if the bond is powerful enough, one person can receive the pain and injuries that the other person sustains. I overhead Madame Pomfrey telling McGonagall that I came in with a stab wound in my thigh. It was strange, because it didn't bleed or anything. It was just an open wound in my leg."

Hermione looked confused. "While I'll admit that it's strange, I don't see how that is related to the Emerald."

"Well it is if you knew what I saw when I went into Harry's body." With that, she recounted the horrible vision of Harry and his self-mutilation.

When she finished, Hermione put her hand to her mouth as her eyes filled with unshed tears. "Oh, Ginny! We have to find Harry quickly! He's really in need of help if he's sunk to cutting himself. And you said that you received the same wound? Yes, I would say that the Emerald is way more powerful than I thought if you are able to share his injuries as well as feelings."

"So what do we do then?" Ginny had decided to hold off on telling Hermione about hearing Harry's voice for now.

"Well I'm going to try and find more research on the Emerald and its effects. But first, we are going to go and talk to the Headmistress. She needs to be informed about all of this as well."

Ginny sighed. She didn't want to involve McGonagall, but she did feel like she owed her some sort of explanation, considering all the trouble that the Headmistress had gone through to help her this term. "Alright, but I'll decide how much I'm going to tell her at the moment." While she seemed none too pleased with this statement, Hermione could only nod.

The trip to McGonagall's office was quiet, since it was early on a Saturday morning, and few of the students had woken up yet. Upon reaching the gargoyle, they recited the password and made their way up the stairs to the office, knocking before entering in.

They found McGonagall sitting behind her desk drinking a cup of tea. "Ah, Miss Granger, Miss Weasley. Thank you for coming to see me." She gestured to the squishy armchairs in front of her desk. "Might I interest either of you in some tea or biscuits?"

The two Gryffindor girls sat down, both taking a cup of tea and a few of the offered biscuits. McGonagall looked at the both of them for a moment before speaking, "So would one of you ladies care to explain what exactly happened last night?"

Ginny knew that she would have to speak up otherwise Hermione might very well tell McGonagall everything. "Well you see, I had a vision of Harry and it was pretty bad. He was hurting himself and screaming really loud. I could feel his pain and rage and when I came to again, I got sick from all the emotions flowing through me."

"I see. And do you have any idea as to what may be causing these visions, Miss Weasley?"

With a total look of innocence, Ginny replied, "No ma'am, I don't." She heard Hermione sigh in exasperation, but, thankfully, she held her tongue.

McGonagall's face was unreadable. "Very well. I will look at this more closely at another time. But now, I have another question for you. What do you know about that necklace you wear?"

Ginny had to think really fast now. Just how much information could she give away to satisfy McGonagall? It wasn't that she didn't trust her, she just felt like this was something that she needed to work out on her own. And to be honest, she wasn't quite sure if the Headmistress would believe her if she told the full story. "Harry gave it to me as a birthday present. It's very beautiful and the best present I've ever been given. He is so thoughtful."

McGonagall smiled at this. "Yes, Harry is quite the caring young man. But tell me, have you noticed anything strange about this necklace?"

This was the tricky part, making it seem like you knew less than you really did. Ginny silently thanked the twins and their lessons in deception. "Well, yes. I can't take the necklace off. The clasp disappeared and I can't pull it off over my head. I don't really mind though, because it's such a beautiful necklace."

McGonagall nodded. "Well I think I can answer that riddle for you. It appears that your necklace has bonded itself to you. It cannot be removed without the proper charm, and even then, only by you. It is very powerful magic, and quite unusual to find in jewelry that one might wear on an everyday basis."

Ginny just smiled. "Well, Harry always has a knack for getting me special gifts."

"Indeed. And this gift is no exception." McGonagall looked at Ginny for a moment before seeming to come to a decision. She set her tea down and stood from her chair. "Well, I must say thank you for coming to me first thing this morning and filling me in on what happened."

Ginny stood as well and began to make her way towards the door, Hermione following behind. "It's no problem, Professor. I hope it was helpful."

"Indeed it was, Miss Weasley. Now why don't you two head down to the Great Hall for breakfast?"

The two nodded and headed out to the staircase, closing the door behind them.

Hermione was the first to speak when the door closed. "Ginny! Why didn't you tell her everything? Professor McGonagall only wants to help you!"

Ginny wasn't fazed by her friend's outburst. "I bought us more time, Hermione. I want to figure this out without a bunch of adults pushing us around and trying to protect us. Harry needs me, and I'm going to be the one to find him."

Hermione didn't seem too optimistic. "I don't know. Aren't you afraid we'll miss something?"

Ginny just laughed. "Hermione, how could I miss something when I have the most brilliant witch in ages helping me? We'll figure it out, don't worry. Now come on. Let's go get breakfast and then we'll hit the library for more research."

As Ginny planned, all words of protest disappeared from Hermione at the mention of the library. Together they descended the staircase and headed towards the Great Hall for a well deserved breakfast.

As the door closed behind the two girls, Professor McGonagall sighed. She couldn't decide if what she had just done had been the right thing.

"Let it go, Minerva. This is something that they have to figure out themselves."

The Headmistress turned to look at one of the portraits on the wall behind her. "How can you be so sure, Albus? They are only children. They shouldn't have to deal with these kinds of things."

The portrait of Albus Dumbledore looked down at the new Headmistress fondly. Despite her somewhat aloof exterior, Minerva McGonagall had always been a kind woman with a big heart. "It's not a question of whether they should have to deal with it, Minerva. The fact of the matter is that a situation _has_ presented itself and now they have to handle it. They are strong and full of love, these children. They have been tested time and again over the past few years and they have yet to disappoint me or anyone else. I have the greatest of confidence in them."

McGonagall didn't seem convinced. "But they obviously don't know all the answers. And it was quite obvious that Miss Weasley wasn't telling me everything as well. How can I help them find the answers if they won't trust me with what they know?"

Dumbledore's portrait just smiled. "You can't. But you can be there when they need you. You can provide comfort and guidance when they seek you out. They will appreciate that more than anything else you could give them."

McGonagall sighed again as she sat down. "I guess you are right, Albus. But that still doesn't explain how they will get the answers they need without my or the Order's help."

Dumbledore gave her a sly wink. "Don't worry, Minerva. An answer always comes to those who require it."


	8. Dredging for Information

**_Dredging for Information_**

The rest of the day found Ginny and Hermione desperately searching for some sort of clue within the Hogwarts library. Ginny, who normally didn't get very worked up about research for school assignments, threw herself into the task with such dedication that even Hermione was impressed. Their search was broad, ranging from magical charm creation to telepathic possession theory, but they had yet to find any insight into the Emerald or Ginny's possession-like experiences.

As the minutes turned into hours, the stacks of unhelpful books grew to epic proportions. The few times that Madame Pince walked by to check on the girls, she would snort in disgust at the obscene way they were handling her precious tomes.

Both girls were poring over a text on astral projection techniques sometime after lunch, when the sound of footsteps came up behind them. Two hands wrapped around Hermione's head covering her eyes. "Guess who."

Ginny rolled her eyes without looking up as Hermione jumped in her seat. "Well if I were to judge by the calloused hands, I'd say that it was a certain Quidditch player that I love."

"Right in one, love." The hands turned Hermione around so she could look into the face of her boyfriend.

"Ron, I've missed you!" Hermione quietly squealed, leaving Ginny to wonder how the girl could make such a noise without getting louder than a whisper.

"It's good to see you to," the youngest Weasley male smiled before planting a kiss on Hermione's lips. "Mmm, tastes just like I remembered."

"You're not so bad yourself."

By this point, Ginny had lowered her head into her hands and sighed dramatically. Her voice came muffled from behind her hands. "I know that you two haven't seen each other in something like a week, but could we skip the tonsil tennis and get back to the task on hand?"

Hermione blushed as Ron sat down and pulled her into his lap. "I never thought I'd see the day when my little sister would show such devotion to homework."

Ginny stuck her tongue out at him. "This isn't about homework. This is about saving Harry."

The smile instantly fell from Ron's face. "Harry's in trouble? What do you need me to do?"

Ginny was once again amazed at how loyal Ron was to his best mate. Hermione seemed to notice as well, as she hugged him tight and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

"Ginny and I are going through the library looking for any information concerning her necklace or the visions she's been having. Since you aren't in school any longer, do you think that you could go back to Grimmauld Place and go through the library there for us?"

Ginny knew her brother, and the last thing he would want to do would be cooped up in a library looking for books. She was just about to tell him not to worry about it when he nodded in agreement.

"No problem, I'll go tonight. What types of books should I look for?"

Ginny was speechless once again. Who was this and what had he done with her lazy brother?

Hermione was positively beaming. "Bring back anything that has to do with magical artefacts or jewellery. To be safe, bring us anything concerning mental and magical bonds as well." Ron nodded in acknowledgment.

Ginny finally found her voice. "Ron, I'm surprised that you are willing to go sort through a bunch of books for us."

Ron just shrugged. "That's what best mates are for, Ginny. I know that if anybody is smart enough to find Harry, that would be you and Hermione. I might not have the brains to figure out the problem, but I'll help wherever I can, even if that means being a pack mule and sorting through old musty books."

Hermione sniffed as unshed tears pooled in her eyes. "You're too good for this world, Ronald Weasley!" She hugged him fiercely before kissing him full on the lips.

Ron blushed as he returned the kiss with equal intensity. "So I guess I should head out then?"

Hermione stood and pulled him to his feet. "Not yet, love. Perhaps you could walk with me to Professor Flitwick's office? I'd like to see if he would let us look through his personal book collection for some leads."

Ron nodded. "Sure thing, 'Mione" He took her hand in his as he looked back towards Ginny. "Are you going to be okay here, Ginny?"

Ginny sighed. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll just keep looking through these stacks. Let me know if you two find anything. Oh, and try not to get lost in too many broom cupboards on the way to Flitwick's office." She smirked at the couple.

Ron's answering grin was quite mischievous. "But it is a man's duty to make sure that there are no evildoers hiding in broom cupboards, waiting for a chance to jump out and assault beautiful women."

Hermione slapped his arm. "Honestly, Ron, is that all you think about?"

Ron gave a tragic sigh. "The price I pay for being noble!"

Hermione laughed as she kissed his cheek. "Come on, Romeo. Let's get going then." She turned back to Ginny. "I'll meet up with you later then?"

Ginny smiled, "Sure thing. I'll probably still be here."

"Good luck, then." The couple turned and walked out of the library hand in hand.

As Ginny watched them leave, she felt a deep sadness well up inside of her. She knew it wasn't right to be jealous of Ron and Hermione's relationship, but she couldn't help it. She had waited for ages for Harry to finally notice her. Her wildest dreams came true during her fifth year when Harry finally decided to ask her out. It was short lived, however, because Harry pushed her away in fear of her becoming a target for Voldemort. It had been a long year, but Harry had emerged victorious and she knew then that Harry would come back to her and they could pick up where they left off. Instead, Harry disappeared, leaving her struggling to make sense of it all. If there was one thing she wanted, it was to snuggle up against Harry's warm body into which she fit so well. To be able to lay her head on his chest and fall asleep to the sound of his beating heart, her greatest wish.

Heaving a great sigh, Ginny forced the sad thoughts down and turned back to the mountain of books beside her. It's not important to dwell on the past. Harry needed her right now, and she had to find a way to get to him.

The light was all but gone in the library as Ginny put the last of the books back into its original place. She had gone through every single tome and had found nothing concerning the Emerald or the strange bond she had with Harry. She was sporting quite a headache from reading in the low light and was more than a little irritable. To top it all, Hermione had not returned from her trip to Professor Flitwick's office with Ron. That meant either of two things. She and Ron had gotten into an intense snog session and lost track or time, or she was down in Flitwick's office and had lost track of time as well. Rubbing her temples, the young redhead walked to the door and left.

Ginny wandered the halls of Hogwarts aimlessly as thoughts tumbled through her head. Why was it that bad things always had to happen to Harry? And the answers to his problems never had simple solutions. Want to live a normal life? Well, all you have to do is kill a practically immortal Dark Lord and save the world. And now this strange crisis had reared its ugly head. Try as they could, no one who cared about Harry could find any way to fix things. They hadn't even been able to figure out just what the problem actually was.

As she wandered the corridors, the frustration in Ginny seemed to build to a fever pitch. No matter how hard she wracked her brain, she just didn't know what to do!

"Calm down, Ginny. You need to think with a clear head. Getting worked up won't make anything easier," she told herself as she took a deep breath.

"I need to find a way to help Harry. I've got to find a way to help my Harry," she spoke to no one in particular as she paced the halls.

She repeated this over and over as she walked, the words almost becoming a mantra helping to organize her thoughts and feelings. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of something flash out of the corner of her eye. Stopping in mid stride, she turned to look for the source of the flash. There before her stood the now visible door to the Room of Requirement. Apparently, in her wanderings, she had made it to the seventh floor and the room had responded to her silent mantra.

"Of course!" she exclaimed, "Why didn't I think of the Room of Requirement before? Sometimes you can be pretty daft, Ginny Weasley."

As she moved to open the door to the magical room, a feeling of anxiousness washed over her. What would the room give her to help her find Harry? A magical portal, a means of communication with her love, or, dare she think it, Harry himself? The suspense was overwhelming as she reached for the doorknob with a trembling hand. Taking a deep breath and setting her jaw, Ginny opened the door and looked inside. She was quite unprepared for what she found.

"Ah, there you are Miss Weasley! I was wondering when you would finally make your way here. Please come in and join me."

Ginny could only nod in disbelief as she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.


	9. Answers for Those Who Require Them

**_Answers for Those Who Require Them_**

As Ginny let the door to the Room of Requirement close and lock behind her, she took a moment to steady herself from the shock she was experiencing. Standing there, in front of her, was none other that Professor Dumbledore himself, smiling with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Professor…how…this can't be possible…can it?" Ginny was at a loss, which caused the former Headmaster of Hogwarts to chuckle merrily.

"Nonsense, Miss Weasley. You of all people should know that great things can be accomplished through magic…great and wonderful things."

"But…you're dead. I mean, we went to the funeral and everything." Ginny just couldn't seem to wrap her mind around what was happening.

A touch of sadness played across Dumbledore's face. "Yes, Miss Weasley, I'm afraid that I am still quite of the deceased nature. However, as I said before, magic can make a great many impossible things possible, as you can see by the room that you made with your thoughts." He stepped to the side, allowing her an unobstructed view.

Ginny paused to finally look around the room that had been created for her. It was an average sized room, but comfy nonetheless. On the wall to her left was a crackling fireplace with two overstuffed armchairs facing towards it. Lining the wall opposite the fireplace were various tools and a medium sized workbench. The wall in front of her, however, was the most intriguing. In the direct centre of the wall was a picture frame that extended from the floor to about seven feet high. The picture was curiously empty, containing only a comfortable looking purple chair.

Even stranger than the empty picture, were the two objects in the middle of the room. On a fine oriental rug, there stood an elegantly wrought three-legged stand of iron. The three legs twisted together and formed a pedestal on which a medium sized crystal rested. The crystal was beautifully sculpted, and gave off a soft blue light that seemed to pulse with energy. As Ginny gazed into the depths of the crystal, she felt a sense of calm and peace wash over her. The aches and pains of the past weeks disappeared, and she was able to take a deep breath and stand a little straighter. Ginny tore her gaze from the crystal to the stand slightly in front of it. It was nothing more than a small podium on which a single closed book was placed.

Turning back to face Dumbledore, Ginny couldn't hide the confusion on her face. "Professor, I still don't understand what all this means, or how you are standing here beside me."

Dumbledore's chuckled once again, his eyes twinkling like a thousand stars. "Why don't we sit down and I'll try to give you some answers? That _was_ what you were looking for wasn't it?"

Ginny nodded mutely as the former Headmaster led her over to one of the armchairs by the fireplace. Once they were both seated, Dumbledore peered over his trademark half-moon spectacles at her. "So what would you like to know, Ginny? May I call you Ginny, by the way?"

Ginny, who was shocked by the total openness of the man sitting next to her, could only stammer, "Umm…yes sir, Ginny is fine." The wizard smiled again as Ginny tried to collect her thoughts. "Well, I guess the first thing I'm wondering about is how you are here when you just said that you were dead."

Dumbledore smiled. "Ah, quite an important question. However, the answer is not as simple as you might think. I trust you noticed the vacant portrait on the wall over there?" Dumbledore motioned towards the huge picture.

"Yes, sir."

"Well, that is my portrait, and quite a comfortable one if I might say so. I never fancied the idea of spending my days in an action pose. Way too tiring, even for a dead person."

"But that doesn't explain how you are sitting out here talking to me. I mean, you're not a ghost, or at least I don't think you are."

Dumbledore laughed again. "You are quite right there, Ginny. I have a corporeal form, and if you got up the nerve to come over here and poke me, you would see that you would see that I am quite here in the flesh." This last remark caused Ginny to giggle a bit before the old wizard continued on.

"Now as to how I am sitting here having this delightful conversation, I really have you to thank for it."

If it was possible, Ginny became even more confused. "Me? How did I do this?"

"Do you see the crystal sitting in the centre of the room?" Ginny nodded. "Well, that is what is called a Focus Crystal."

"A Focus Crystal?"

"Correct. Think of it as filter that absorbs magic that is directed towards it. It captures the magical energy, purifies it, and then amplifies the power behind it, greatly strengthening the potency of spells cast through it."

"And how did the Room of Requirement supply me with one?"

"Well, that is the amazing thing," Dumbledore replied. "Focus Crystals are extremely rare. They require an enormous amount of magic and control to create. Very few wizards or witches have even a fraction of the power to craft one."

Ginny shook her head in disbelief. "If it takes so much power, how was _I_ able to create one?"

Dumbledore smile once again. "My dear, you don't give yourself enough credit. By itself, I know for a fact that you have always performed magic admirably here at school. When you add to that the fact that you have the greatest of powers available to you, then it is no surprise that you were able to fashion a Focus Crystal."

"Greatest of powers? What power is that?"

"Why, the power of love, of course. Tell me, Ginny, what were you thinking before the Room of Requirement opened itself up to you?"

Ginny paused for a moment to think back to what she was doing right before she had entered the room. "I just kept thinking over and over that I needed to find a way to help my Harry." She blushed suddenly and brought a hand to her mouth, realizing that she had just claimed Harry as her own right in front of one of the greatest wizards who had ever lived.

Seeing her embarrassment, Dumbledore chuckled and reached out to pat Ginny's shoulder reassuringly. "There is nothing to be ashamed of, Ginny. Love is a beautiful and amazing thing. It helps us accomplish things that we could scarcely dream of. When you combine your already impressive magical skill with your immense love and concern for Harry, it is not so hard to see how you were able to harness enough energy to create the Focus Crystal that sits in this very room."

Leaning back into his chair once again, Dumbledore continued on, "Yes, it is the crystal which allowed me to leave the confines of my portrait. It requires a tremendous amount of magic to gather a physical form outside the picture, but your crystal has enough power to make it possible."

A surprised look crossed Ginny's face. "Does that mean you are free to move about and live again?"

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "Alas, that is not the case. While I maintain all my mental faculties, I am, in essence, little more than a golem. I am unable to do magic, and the sheer amount of energy needed to keep my physical form together keeps me bound to this room."

Seeing tears begin to form in Ginny's eyes, Dumbledore hastened to reassure her. "But do not worry yourself about my condition. I have accepted the limitations placed upon myself and will endeavour to help you in other ways."

"And how is that, Professor?" Ginny asked as she wiped away her unshed tears.

"I shall remain here to give you advice concerning your endeavours to discover Harry's whereabouts."

"Oh thank you, Professor! I know with your help we'll find Harry quickly!" Suddenly, a thought occurred to Ginny. Looking him directly in the eye, she asked Dumbledore, "Professor, how do you know that Harry is missing and in danger?"

Dumbledore's eyes sparkled with mirth as he laid one finger beside his nose. "I'm afraid that's part of the mystery of my job."

Ginny couldn't help but laugh at his secretive but mischievous manner.

"Now that we've settled the question as to why I'm here, is there anything else you would like to know?"

Ginny glanced around the room again before nodding. "Yes, sir. What is the purpose of the workbench and tools over against the far wall?"

"Unfortunately, concerning that, I have no answer for you," Dumbledore conceded. "However, considering the purpose and attributes of the Room of Requirement, it stands to reason that the objects on the far wall will serve some purpose for you in the near future. Until that time, I am afraid that I cannot shed any more light on the subject."

Ginny ran her hands through her hair as she searched for another question. Remembering her and Hermione's conversation from earlier, she asked, "Professor, what can you tell me about the Emerald of Empathy?"

"I'm guessing this has to do with the fact that you are wearing said Emerald around your neck, correct?" Ginny nodded.

Dumbledore thought for a moment, his eyes going distant. "The Emerald of Empathy is quite a powerful magical artefact. Its history, as well as its full capabilities, has been shrouded in mystery for ages, causing many to consider it a thing of myth and legend. While I myself know very little about the Emerald, I seem to recall a wizard who did an intense study on the legend and published his findings. Considering the fact that most of the Wizarding community felt that it was nothing more than a fairy tale, I'd imagine it would be somewhat difficult to come across the author's work on the Emerald. Therefore, I would make an effort to seek out rare and antique book dealers for information on how to obtain a copy of the research." Focusing once more on Ginny, Dumbledore continued, "Other than that, I can only recount to you its mythical properties, foremost of which, is the ability to fully experience the emotions of the person it is attuned to."

"Well that helps somewhat," Ginny replied. "Now I can tell Hermione what to look for and, hopefully, narrow down our search."

"So you have enlisted the aid of Miss Granger? Excellent! If anyone is to help you find more information, she is definitely the correct witch for the task." Dumbledore was pleased.

Ginny smiled. "She's been helping me search for information regarding the Emerald of Empathy. I always knew that Hermione was a fan of books and research, but I never really knew just how fanatical she was until I saw it firsthand."

Dumbledore laughed. "She does quite well living up to the image of being the brightest witch of your generation. I have no doubt the two of you will get to the bottom of this mystery."

"She's been a big help, and a great friend. I know that both Harry and I can count on her."

"Don't be so sure to count your brother out either. His loyalty to Harry knows no bounds, and I'm sure he will have a part to play in these events before it's all over," Dumbledore replied with a sly wink.

"Ron?" Ginny asked incredulously.

"Yes, Ron. There are many types of love in the world other than romantic love. Never undervalue the strong love that comes from deep friendship."

Ginny was still somewhat unsure. "If you say so, Professor."

Dumbledore smiled. "I do say so. Now, there is one more thing that I'd like to show you before I leave."

"Leave? But I thought that you could stay out of your portrait as long as you stayed within this room?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "As I said before, it takes a great amount of magical energy to maintain this physical form. The amount of strain that it places upon me is substantial. Therefore, I am forced to retire to my portrait to rest or bear the consequences."

"Bear the consequences? What do you mean, Professor?" Ginny asked.

"If I overexert myself, I will lose the ability to maintain the integrity of this form. As soon as that occurred, my form would shatter and my spirit dissipate, causing me to become no more. Seeing as how I prefer to continue existing, I choose to rest instead." He gave a wry smile.

Overcome with emotion, Ginny rose and flung herself into Dumbledore's arms. "Oh, Professor! I'm so sorry that I put you in this position! I don't know how I could face anyone if I caused you to disappear!"

The former Headmaster held the crying girl in his arms as he patted her back. "My dear child, I would never blame you for anything such as that! I know my limits, and it would be my fault, and my fault alone if that happened to me."

Dumbledore brought Ginny to her feet, struggling to keep his own emotions in check. "Now before I go, let me show you one more thing. Call it a gift, if you will."

Ginny wiped her face once again as she followed the old wizard over to the bookstand in the middle of the room. He pointed to the single book lying closed upon it. "Take this book and use it well."

Somewhat hesitantly, Ginny reached out and picked up the book from the stand. She was immediately surprised to find that it was somewhat warm to the touch. As she ran her hand over the cover, she noticed that, while the book appeared to be quite ancient, it was in extremely good shape. Curiosity getting the best of her, Ginny opened the book to somewhere in the middle. Much to her chagrin, she found that the pages were covered in words of a language she couldn't translate.

As she looked up to inform Dumbledore of what had to be a serious mistake, she saw him preparing to step into his portrait across the room. "Wait! Professor! I can't read this! What am I supposed to do with it?"

Dumbledore merely smiled at her. "Might I suggest you discuss it with the talented Miss Granger? I'm sure she would have a thing or two to say about it."

Ginny stood there bewildered as Dumbledore set one foot into the portrait. Just as he was about to step totally in, he turned once more toward Ginny. "Oh, and Miss Weasley, don't forget that answers will always present themselves if you but ask the right questions. Good evening." With that, he moved into the portrait.

Suddenly, both the picture and the crystal glowed bright. When the light returned to normal, Ginny saw that Dumbledore was sleeping quietly within the confines of the portrait.

Her mind a blur, Ginny stood staring at the sleeping wizard for a few minutes before coming back to reality. She looked down once again to the book in her hands, trying to puzzle out Dumbledore's words.

"Give it up girl," she thought to herself. "We need to go find reinforcements."

Ginny took one more look around the strange room that had been tailored for her needs. "We're going to figure this out, Harry," she whispered. "Hang in there, love." Holding the old tome in her arms, she turned and walked out the door and into the corridor.

Ginny's problem now was to find Hermione and inform her of what had happened since she and Ron had left the library. Looking down at her watch, she noticed with a start that she was ten minutes past curfew.

"I guess I'll have to talk to Hermione in the morning," she thought to herself as she ran back towards her dormitory.

The trip back to the Gryffindor tower was uneventful. Ginny made her way up to her room an entered, looking in the direction of Hermione's bed. The curtains were drawn and she could hear the sound of deep breathing coming from inside.

"Way to come and look for me, Hermione," Ginny thought to herself with a snort.

Shaking her head, she quickly changed into her nightgown and slipped into her bed. She pulled the book Dumbledore gave her out again and gazed at it for a few moments while slowly rubbing her hand over the cover. Heaving a sigh, she tucked the book underneath her pillow and pulled the covers up to her chin. As she rolled over onto her side she held the Emerald in her fingers and slowly stroked the gem with her thumb. As she began to drift off, she lifted the jewel to her lips and kissed it lightly.

"Good night, my love," she whispered, slipping into the world of dreams.

At that very moment, a ragged form lifted itself from where it had been laying on a filthy floor. It propped itself up on one arm and reached out trying to grab for something that seemed to be just inches from its grasp.

"Ginny…" it croaked before slumped back to the floor, succumbing to feverous nightmares.


	10. Revelations from the Past

**_Revelations from the Past_**

As soon as Ginny awoke the following morning she leapt from her bed and over to Hermione's, which was still occupied. The tiny redhead pulled back her friend's curtains and proceeded to shake the sleeping witch awake. "Hermione, get up! We need to talk now!"

Hermione groaned as she tried to fight off the attack of her best friend. "Ginny, it's still early. Can't it wait at least another hour or so?"

Ginny sighed in exasperation. "No, Hermione it can't." She leaned in close to the girl's ear and whispered, "I talked to Dumbledore last night."

Hermione's reaction startled Ginny as her eyes flew open and she sat up straight in the bed. "Dumbledore? Why didn't you say so? Let's get dressed and find a place to talk." With that she jumped out of bed, grabbed some clothes and hurried into the bathroom.

Ginny allowed herself a little laugh as she moved back to her bed to grab some clothes for herself.

A half an hour later found the two girls showered, dressed, and occupying one of the numerous empty classrooms within the castle. Ginny recounted her conversation with Dumbledore as Hermione listened intently and took notes. She seemed quite impressed with the description of the room that Ginny had created and even more so with the focus crystal that she had been able to produce. Her expression grew thoughtful as Ginny explained the gift that Dumbledore had given her before taking his leave the previous night.

"This book that Dumbledore gave you, do you have it with you?" Ginny nodded and pulled it from her schoolbag.

Hermione took it from her, handling it as if it were made of delicate glass. She opened it to a random page and scanned the insides. "Well, it's obvious that this book is very old."

"How do you know that?"

Hermione turned the book so that it was facing Ginny. "It looks like the entire book is written in Ancient Latin."

"Latin? Aren't most magic spells made up in Latin?"

Hermione shook her head. "Most are derivatives of Latin phrasing, but they tend to pull from other languages as well. Norse, Welsh, even some Anglo-Saxon words have popped up in magic incantations, depending on the mother tongue that the creator spoke."

Ginny looked confused. "So what is so important about this being in Ancient Latin then?"

Hermione thought for a second. "Well if there are spells in this book, then they are going to be extremely powerful. This is because they haven't been diluted by the more modern languages. They will be in their original conceptual form, meaning we will need to be very careful with what we find."

"So, aside from this being a potentially powerful book of spells, what else is there to know about it?"

Hermione flipped to the front of the book. "Well, the cover doesn't give a title or author, and strangely enough, there is no title page inside the book either. Just one blank page and then the Latin starts."

Ginny sighed. "There has to be some way to find out more about this book!"

Hermione shrugged. "Other than asking Dumbledore about it, I can't think of a way to…" The bushy-haired witch trailed off for a moment and then began muttering to herself, "Well it's possible… No, that would be too simple… Worth a shot…"

Ginny was beginning to become agitated. "What is it, Hermione?"

Startled from her thoughts, Hermione looked up into the liquid brown eyes of her friend. "Well, perhaps we aren't seeing anything because someone disguised the information inside. If so, then perhaps a revealing spell would allow us to see it."

The redhead didn't seem convinced. "A revealing spell? Isn't that a little too simple for what you said was such a powerful book?"

"Sometimes, people overlook the simple spells because they think that there is more there than there really is. Besides, this is the only other option I can think of besides going to Dumbledore and asking him, and somehow I think he wanted us to figure this out for ourselves."

Ginny threw her hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright. Go ahead and try it; just be careful. I don't want some ancient curse sending you to the hospital wing for a month."

Hermione nodded and took a deep breath. She closed the book and pulled her wand from her robes. Tapping the cover of the book three times, she spoke in a firm voice, "Reveal your secrets to us, those who seek the truth."

The two witches held their breath, expecting the worse, but all that happened was that the book glowed violet faintly for a few seconds and grew dark again.

Hermione's face broke into a smile as she opened the book again. "See there! That wasn't so bad. And look! There are two new pages in the front of the book!" She pointed excitedly to the now visible pages.

Ginny scooted over next to her to gaze at the once hidden pages. "Wow, Hermione! I've never seen anything like this before!"

As both girls watched, the blank pages filled with ink as if someone was writing before their very eyes. Both of them were speechless as the magic completed its work and they read the entire page.

_Lachrymancy_

_A Study of Principles and Practice_

_Conceived and Developed_

_By_

_The Most Ancient and Wise Hippocrates_

_Translated from the Ancient Tongue_

_By_

_Mungo_ _Bonham_

Hermione turned to Ginny with an awestruck look on her face. "Ginny! Do you know what this is?"

Ginny returned her gaze. "Well, I know how to read, so it seems that this is a book about some old branch of magic."

"Yes, but did you look at the authors?"

"Once again, let me remind you that I can read, so yes I did, but what's so amazing about them?"

Hermione shook her head in exasperation. "Honestly, Ginny, am I the only person who ever reads any History? This book was written by Hippocrates…_THE_ Hippocrates, who is the greatest medical wizard in all history. His practices and theories revolutionized both Wizard and Muggle Medicine in ancient times. And then there's the little fact that it's been translated by Mungo Bonham, who is another of the greatest medical wizards of all time. In fact, our hospital was named after him."

Comprehension began to dawn on Ginny's face. "You mean this book was translated by St. Mungo _himself_?"

"Precisely. The mere fact that this book has been touched by both of these wizards probably makes it one of the most valuable books in the entire Wizarding world. It also means that whatever Lachrymancy is, it is extremely powerful and potentially dangerous. We'll have to be very careful with anything we find in here."

Ginny nodded, but grew aggravated again. "That's all fine and good, but how are we going to read any of this? I don't know Ancient Latin, and somehow I don't think you do either."

Hermione didn't seem discouraged. "Well the title page of the book says that it was translated by St. Mungo, so there has got to be a way to read the translated passages." She turned the title page and gave out a startled exclamation as more lines began to form on the once hidden page.

"What does it say?" Ginny asked as she leaned over to examine the page.

Hermione remained silent as she pointed at the writing that both girls proceeded to read.

_Dear Lady Ginevra Weasley,_

_I am sure you are wondering just how exactly I am writing this note to you, considering you live quite a bit in the future. Well, let me first assure you that this is indeed an authentic note to you, as is the edition of the book you hold in your hands. The reason that I know to write this to you is that I was approached by a seer recently, instructing me to translate this particular tome and place it in a secure location. She then told me that the fate of the saviour of the Wizarding world relied both on it and the person to whom this work would go to. She then told me your name and that I would need to instruct you in how to utilize this book. So here I find myself, writing to someone I shall never know, for reasons I shall never understand. But enough of my rambling, let's get to the important things, shall we?_

_When the seer told me that I needed to find the ancient works of Hippocrates and his studies on Lachrymancy, I was somewhat confused. I knew, of course, of the great medical studies of Hippocrates, but I had never heard of any form of magic called Lachrymancy, nor what its purpose was. Regardless, I scoured many libraries and ancient ruins, looking for some information concerning this work._

_My travels were many and unimportant, but know that, after much searching, I came across a small collection of Hippocratic works in a damp and secluded cave in Greece. While these badly mildewed parchments were not in Hippocrates' original language, they had been translated into Old Latin, which had become the accepted language of the magical community at that time. Considering how very few people know how to speak or translate the old languages in my time, let alone yours, I deemed it necessary to translate most of the work into English. The incantations remain in their original form, however, to maintain the potency of magic._

_I must say that as I read more and more concerning the theories of Lachrymancy, I was even more astounded with the power of this art. I must admit that if you are able to perform the magic of these spells, then you are indeed a witch of great power and compassion. I know not what troubles face the future saviour of the Wizarding world, but if you truly care for him enough to use this art, then there is indeed great hope for the future. The spell to reveal my translated passages is "Reddo libri." The spell shall remain active until such time as you close the book again. Remember that with all of the old tongue incantations, determination and correct pronunciation is key. Study hard and you shall achieve results in no time. I wish you the greatest of luck in your quest, Lady Ginevra, and may the magic flow freely through you and bend ever to your will._

_Yours in magic,_

_Mungo_ _Bonham_

_P.S. As an added precaution, I enhanced the translation charm so that only you have the ability to activate it. The book has been designed to recognize you when you hold it. While I would love to take credit for that little piece of magic, I must admit that it was my strange Seer visitor who cast that particular spell. Godspeed!_

_M.B._

Ginny finished reading the page and sat slack-jawed, unable to process the enormity of what she had just read. Hermione, who seemed just as shocked, was able to recover first. "This is unbelievable, Ginny! Mungo Bonham was told to make this translation just for you! And if I'm not mistaken, I would say that this is the only copy of this book in existence. I was wrong about what I said before. This book isn't just extremely valuable…it's priceless!"

Ginny was only able to nod her head slightly as her gaze remained fixed upon the book sent to her from antiquity. Perhaps here, within these very pages, was the means by which she could rescue Harry from his torment.

She was jolted out of her reflections as Hermione snapped her fingers in front of her face. "Ginny! Are you going to cast the spell or not?"

Finally finding her voice, Ginny smiled at her friend. "I guess now is as good a time as any." She pulled out her wand and placed its tip on the open book in front of her. "_Reddo_ _libri_," she whispered.

The book began to glow bright violet and the two girls watched as the unfamiliar words began to shift and form coherent sentences. In a minute or two, the entire book was written mostly in English, with snippets of Latin here and there among the pages.

Hermione had a satisfied look on her face. "Well, now that we know that it works, it looks like we have some work to do."

Ginny glanced down at the book in her hands. "Since the book responds only to me, it looks like I'll be going through here and learning about Lachrymancy."

Hermione nodded. "And I'm going to find out everything I can about Hippocrates and his work. Add that with whatever we can find on the Emerald of Empathy, and hopefully it will be enough to come up with a way to find Harry."

Ginny permitted herself a small smile. "It's going to happen, Hermione. Everything is starting to come together. We're going to find Harry, and it's going to be soon." Her smile fell as she paused. "It better be soon, or there may not be much of Harry left to find."

Hermione could only nod sadly as she watched a tear escape to trickle slowly down Ginny's fair cheek.


	11. Where Our Loyalties Lie

_**Where Our Loyalties Lie**_

"Bloody hell! What did I get myself into?"

Ron Weasley surveyed the contents of the library at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, his eyes widening as he began to comprehend the enormity of the task set before him.

The room, which he was almost certain wasn't this big the last time he had chanced to enter it, was covered with bookcases that seemed to be groaning under the sheer weight of the books jammed onto their shelves. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration, trying to figure out just where in Merlin's name he was to start his search, and just how exactly he got roped into this particular job in the first place.

Ron was not a fan of books. This of course was common knowledge to everyone, especially his girlfriend, Hermione, who fought a tireless rearguard action of trying to make him a tad more studious. What most people didn't realize was that Ron really harbored no ill will towards books. In fact, he was a big fan of certain types of literature. No one tore into a new Quidditch magazine with greater fervor and tenacity than the youngest Weasley male. Even less widely known was that Ron was also a connoisseur of the excellent material showcased in Playwizard magazine, which he, of course, read solely for the highly insightful articles.

The dusty tomes of wizard lore were a totally different matter. Ron could never muster up the motivation to even feign interest in these books, no matter how much he tried or Hermione cajoled. It was because of this that he found himself currently at an impasse, franticly trying to determine why he was doing research of all things. Hermione was so much better at this. But she had her hands full with her own studies and research.

Hermione. Just thinking about her now made a smile cross his freckled face. No matter how hard he pondered, he still couldn't figure out what was so special about him that Hermione would want to be his girl. She was everything that any guy could ever want: smart, funny, caring, and beautiful beyond measure. To be honest, Ron felt like the buxom blondes of Playwizard didn't hold a candle to his Hermione, especially whenever she got riled up from an argument that he had started with her. The way she set her hips and pursed her lips as she yelled at him was, Ron had to admit, sexy as hell. Just the thought of her in full row mode caused him to flush slightly. Ron might not have been the sharpest of the Golden Trio, but he knew one thing for sure, he had a good thing going and he wasn't going to do something to jeopardize it.

The smile fell from Ron's face as he remembered just how close he came to losing the best thing in his life. Never before had he felt so sick, so dead inside, as that night in Malfoy Manor when he was subjected to the most horrible torture ever. It wasn't torture against his person. No, he would have been more than able to stand strong against that. It was the sounds of Hermione in the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange what nearly caused him to give up the fight. The memories of her screams as she was hit again and again by the Cruciatus, his futile attempts to escape and rescue her from harm, throat raw and bleeding from shouting her name over and over, the pain in her eyes as he finally found her writhing on the floor, consumed by the aftereffects of the curse, it all came back to him in the darkness of his worst nightmares. And with each time that he would awake from that horrible place in his mind, he reaffirmed the vow he had made that fateful day. He would die before allowing that to happen to anyone he cared about ever again.

That day had marked a turning point in Ron's life. It was then that Ron realized that his feelings for Hermione Granger went far beyond that of a simple school crush. He loved that bossy bushy-haired witch, just as much as he loved his family and Harry.

This was something else that caught Ron by surprise when he had finally stopped to think about it. Like every normal bloke, he felt somewhat leery about expressing feeling towards other guys, but he had to face facts, he loved Harry Potter like a brother. They had been through so much together, so many amazing and terrible ordeals that they had transcended mere friendship. Harry would do anything for Ron and Ron felt likewise.

It was with a sense of shame that Ron remembered back to the few times that he had abandoned Harry in his time of need. Ron had let his own insecurity and jealousness get in the way of their friendship back during the Tri-wizard Tournament, stupidly believing that Harry had put his name in the Goblet of Fire so that he might compete and increase his fame and glory. At a time when Harry needed friendship and understanding, Ron had offered him neither.

More recently, Ron remembered how he had abandoned both Harry and Hermione during their self-imposed Horcrux hunt. All it took was a little bit of hardship and a few missed meals, and Ron had automatically begun to feel sorry for himself, losing enthusiasm and lashing out at his best friends. Then he bolted, leaving both the friend and girl that he loved more than life itself to struggle to complete the most important task in the world by themselves. Sure he had returned, but he would never forget the pain that he had caused Harry and Hermione by his actions.

Ron sighed as he forced those memories back into the depths of his mind. He remembered now why he was here searching the full to capacity library of Grimmauld Place. He would never let down those he cared for ever again. He might not be able to do much, but he would tackle whatever task given if it meant that it might ease the burden of those who needed him. From the way Ginny had described it, Harry was in one of those dire situations now, and required all the help he cold get. Ron would be more than happy to oblige.

There was something else that amazed Ron. He had never given much thought to his sister, other than maintaining the responsibilities of protective older brother. However, he couldn't help but notice the relationship between Ginny and his best mate. Ron would be the first to tell you that Harry had always been a shy bloke, extremely modest and at times, what Ron called "broody." But for the short time that Harry and Ginny were officially together, all that seemed to change. Granted, Harry remained quiet and modest in public, but when he was with Ginny, she seemed make him smile and laugh a great deal more. When discussing this change at one point with Hermione, he had mentioned that Ginny seemed to "suck the depressing out of him." This had earned him an eye roll from Hermione, but she had been forced to admit that he had a point. The truth of the matter was that, no matter how Ron looked at it, Harry and his sister were made for each other. Ginny had overcome her early childhood crush and now loved Harry to distraction, and Ron had a feeling that Harry might feel the same.

When Harry had disappeared after the Final Battle, Ginny had been beside herself in anguish. Ron didn't want to kill Harry exactly, but he did want to throttle him a bit, not just for upsetting his sister, but also for being so noble that he couldn't allow himself a little bit of happiness as well. Now he had gone and gotten himself into some major trouble of some sort, and it was up to the rest of them to save him.

"Well, Harry, I guess it's up to us to figure out how to get you out of this one," Ron muttered. "But once we do, I feel that it's my duty to give you a bit of a thrashing… a light one, mind you, but still a thrashing." Taking in the room one more time, Ron shook his head. "Well, you can't finish something unless you start." Heaving an epic sigh, Ron trudged over to the nearest bookcase and began pulling various volumes off the shelves, scanning through them slowly.

Much later, Ron flopped into one of the library's reading chairs in exasperation. He had been at this nonstop for over four and a half hours, and had barely made it halfway through the first bookcase. The enormity of his task fell upon him again as he struggled to find the willpower to continue the search. His mind began to wander back to the day before and the frequent stops he and Hermione had made on their way to Professor Flitwick's office. They had taken time to do a little bit of empty classroom exploration before moving on to other business. With a twinge of annoyance, Ron thought that if he could only find some book, any book, on that stupid necklace, he might very well have the opportunity to engage in more explorations with Hermione that very evening. However, looking at the almost insignificant amount of progress that he had made thus far, those pleasant thoughts seemed to be slipping right through his calloused fingers.

"If only there was some way to make this stupid search go faster!" he ranted out loud as he fiddled with his wand in impatience. "Why can't I just say some spell like _Accio_ _Emerald of Empathy book_ and have it come to me?"

Without warning, something smacked Ron in the head, knocking him to the floor in surprise.

"What the bloody hell was that?!"

Ron scanned the room with his wand ready, looking for an uninvited assailant who was ready to fight. Much to his chagrin, he remained the room's sole occupant. Seeing that the room was clear, he made to get up, noticing at the last moment that a thin and somewhat tattered book was lying at his feet. His eyes widened in shock as he read the title.

_Demystifying the Myth:_

_Findings Concerning a Study of the Emerald of Empathy_

_By:_

_Jankas_ _Pegason_

"I don't believe it! The bloody spell actually worked!" Ron began a rather grotesque jig of glee, pumping his fist in the air all the while. "Just wait until Hermione hears what happened, she's going to go mental!"

Ron grabbed his stuff and made for the door. When he got to the doorway, he stopped for a second and turned around. With a moment's thought, he crossed back over to one of the nearest bookcases. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, he reached out and patted the bookcase somewhat hesitantly.

"Thanks for the help, Padfoot. You're a life saver. Oh, and, um… if you would kind of keep the whole book hitting me in the head thing secret, I'd really appreciate it."

With a last look around, Ron nodded to himself and then sped from the room, intent on showing that he could pull his weight after all.

* * *

It was dark and dank, this place. The lack of light was not a real problem. He didn't need much light to navigate his way around. The smell was uncomfortable however, even for him. It reeked of death, decay, and despair. This was not a good place, oh no, far from it. But if he knew one thing, it was duty, and his duty required that he be here. He was needed, and he was more than willing to serve. It was quiet here for the most part, at least until night-time, when the screams began. Then it took all his fortitude to keep from fleeing in terror. He had witnessed many horrible things, but they all seemed to shrink in comparison to what he seen each and every night. He was powerless to stop it, although he wanted to so very badly. Instead, he found himself waiting for daybreak and the slight respite it provided. Only then could he do his duty, only then could he tend to things.

He had no idea how he had ended up where he was, nor where exactly that place could be. But here he would stay forever, or until things were made right. It mattered not which came first.

As he watched the sun fade slowly below the horizon, he steeled himself for what was fast approaching. Sure enough, as the last vestiges of light disappeared, he felt the surge that shook him to his very core, accompanied by torturous screams that seemed to echo from everywhere around him. With a sad sigh, he began to move towards the origin of the horrifying cries. A faint whisper, his only utterance, was instantly lost amidst the hellish shrieks.

"My poor Master…"


End file.
